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The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) is considered a major pest in haylands, particularly alfalfa, and surrounding crops and shelterbelts of western Canada. Although poison baits are often used with the objective to quickly reduce pocket gopher populations over large areas, recent investigations in western Canada have demonstrated that they were ineffective in reducing and controlling pocket gopher populations in haylands. This paper identifies the elements of an effective pocket gopher control program and demonstrates that, with a proper strategy to lay out killing traps in spring to remove breeders-of-the-year, and to intercept invading pocket gophers, trapping is the most effective method to control northern pocket gophers. This paper also describes an effective trapping program and identifies research needs to increase capture efficiency.

The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) is considered a major pest in haylands, particularly alfalfa, and surrounding crops and shelterbelts of western Canada. Although poison baits are often used with the objective to quickly reduce pocket gopher populations over large areas, recent investigations in western Canada have demonstrated that they were ineffective in reducing and controlling pocket gopher populations in haylands. This paper identifies the elements of an effective pocket gopher control program and demonstrates that, with a proper strategy to lay out killing traps in spring to remove breeders-of-the-year, and to intercept invading pocket gophers, trapping is the most effective method to control northern pocket gophers. This paper also describes an effective trapping program and identifies research needs to increase capture efficiency.

The 2½-day Colorado Front Range Prairie Dog Technical Workshop was held in Fort Collins, Colorado, February 27-March 1, 2001. The workshop attracted about 250 attendees, mostly government personnel. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) present numerous challenges to landowners and resource managers because they are considered a rare and important ecosystem component, but at the same time they can cause various kinds of damage and pose a disease hazard to humans and their domestic animals. Invited speakers updated the participants on the topics of prairie dog biology and ecology, legal status and distribution, socio-economic issues, management techniques and strategies, and current research. Special topics such as plague management and black-footed ferret re-introductions were also addressed. Several panel discussions on management challenges and options were held. Various perspectives were presented and there was considerable interaction on these volatile issues. There was a field trip to local prairie dog colonies to view and discuss conflicts and management options. In this paper, we summarize some of the key topics and perspectives brought up at the Workshop, in order to provide a broad synopsis of this highly contentious arena of human-wildlife conflict.

The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is native to South America but has become established in several locations throughout the United States through purposeful and accidental releases. The species is unique among parrots in that it is not a cavity-nester, but instead it builds a bulky nest structure of sticks. Often, in its native range and in the United States, the parakeet selects a electric utility structure as a nest site. Material from the nest then can cause short-circuits that result in damage to the utility structure and a subsequent power outage. In south Florida, monk parakeet damage and associated outages have increased substan­tially in recent years. Although the full costs associated with the damage and the outages are not known, it is evident that current methods to manage the problem are inadequate. In 2001, to address the need for more effective management methods, Florida Power and Light Company initiated a project to identify and investigate new, potentially useful management alternatives. In this paper, we review what is currently known regarding the impacts of monk parakeets to electric utilities and we discuss the status of research to develop new methods to reduce these impacts.

Rodent damage research in Hawaii has evolved in response to shifts from large-scale monoculture agriculture, such as sugarcane, to cultivation of diversified high-value specialty crops, such as export ornamental nurseries and forestry products. Recent findings and renewed conservation awareness of the impact of predators, especially rodents, as important limiting factors of many of Hawaii’s endangered avifauna have stimulated increased efforts to reduce rodent depredation in conservation areas and other natural resources. Some of the early tools developed in agriculture have been incorporated and successfully used for protecting non-agricultural resources and new methods have been developed for current problems. This paper summarizes the rodent research that the National Wildlife Research Center’s Hawaii Field Station has conducted over these years of changing economic times and priorities.

The recent and rapid growth of the private “nuisance” wildlife control industry follows the unparalleled current period of urban and suburban expansion. Nuisance wildlife control businesses range from simple home-based services to sophisticated franchised businesses. The nuisance wildlife control operator may hold an advanced degree in the wildlife sciences, or simply be an entrepreneur without formal education or even background experience in wildlife. State and federal agencies may participate directly or indirectly in nuisance wildlife control, in activities ranging from dissemination of advice or information to actual participation in programs that may lead to removal of animals. Naturally, all of the activities associated with nuisance wildlife control concern the many individuals and organizations in North America that are interested in animal welfare and protection. This paper addresses some of their concerns. We present a survey, summary, and critical analysis of the nuisance wildlife control industry with a special emphasis on what we view as its most problematic and troubling aspects. We discuss model standards, based primarily on existing best practices, and speculate about the future of this activity.

The continued expansion of coyote activity to new areas, the growth and expansion of human populations, undiminished difficulties faced by livestock producers in managing predation, and highly polarized public values have challenged the abilities of a new generation of scientists and students to develop effective, socially acceptable predation management methods. Work by scientists at the National Wildlife Research Center, their students, and numerous cooperators has resulted in more than 150 research papers, reports, theses, and dissertations during the past decade, substantially increasing the body of knowledge of coyote management strategies and describing progress in the development of new management methods. Much of the effort has focused on research on non-lethal techniques, methods that are selective for individual problem animals, and procedures perceived by the public to be more humane. More than two-thirds of the predator research scientists now at the Center were hired during the past decade, bringing fresh perspectives and new talent to the pervasive problems of livestock predation by coyotes.

Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) involves comparing all of the gains and losses from a given wildlife damage management action or management technique over time in similar units, thereby providing a total picture of potential gains and losses to society. This technique is at the core of justifications for wildlife damage management efforts. BCA has been noticeably absent from the study of vertebrate pest management problems, and in the few studies where a BCA has been included, the analysis is incomplete. This paper provides an overview of the steps in a BCA, using specific wildlife damage examples to highlight and expand the technique for researchers interested in documenting these effects.

As the U.S. population has increased and the number and nature of problems caused by wildlife has changed, the focus of research conducted by USDA APHIS National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) scientists has evolved to meet changing demands for effective solutions. This paper summarizes changes in the focus of NWRC Bird Research Program as reflected in 1) three surveys to determine priority research needs of the Wildlife Services (WS) program, 2) NWRC research literature produced in each of three decades since 1970, and 3) the focus of current research in the NWRC Bird Research Program. Many research needs of the WS program were consistently expressed in three programmatic research needs assessments (RNAs) conducted in 1989, 1996, and 2001, while others changed as new bird-human conflicts emerged. Blackbirds, starlings, waterfowl, gulls, wading birds, and cormorants were listed in all three RNAs, while pelicans and vultures are more recently expressed as a priority research needs. The major emphasis of NWRC bird research publications over the last three decades has been related to blackbirds, starlings, and grain crops. Songbirds also were a subject of many research publications during each of the last three decades. Waterfowl, gulls, and cormorants, as well as aviation, aquaculture, and endangered species, were subjects of increased research focus at the NWRC during the 1990s.

The pest management strategy for bovine tuberculosis (Tb) in New Zealand aims to achieve official freedom from Tb before 2012 and to eradicate the disease from livestock and wildlife. On farmland, regularly tested cattle and deer usually provide adequate surveillance of Tb presence in sympatric wildlife, but there are many other areas where livestock are absent or their densities too low to be useful. For these areas, Tb prevalence in the wildlife hosts must be surveyed directly but brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), the main host, make poor sentinels (indicators) for identifying Tb presence or absence. Consequently, persistent Tb can go undetected for long periods. The trials reported here assess the feasibility and practicality of alternative techniques for Tb surveillance in wildlife – the use of ‘spillover’ hosts as sentinels for detecting Tb presence or helping quantify its likely absence. Spillover hosts become infected mainly through interaction with other species. This paper will discuss the use of these species to detect both the presence and the spread of bovine Tb in wildlife in the central North Island of New Zealand.