Center, Internet, Wildlife Damage Management
Human–Wildlife Interactions
In the News
Date of this Version
Spring 2014
Document Type
Article
Citation
Human–Wildlife Interactions (Spring 2014) 8(1): article 1
doi: 10.26077/6x-rx56
Abstract
Mute swans: pests or sentinels?
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is reconsidering its recently released management plan that called for the complete elimination of the invasive mute swan (Cygnus olor; Figure 1) population in Long Island, New York, by 2025. Mute swans, which will often overwinter in northern latitudes, are finding the extreme cold problematic this year and are migrating farther south than usual. The swans are waterbirds, and cannot take off unless they are on water. Wildlife officials are on call to lead any stray swans back to water.
Bat fungus spreads
White-nose syndrome, a disease that is deadly to bats (Figure 2), continues to be found in new areas. Meanwhile, extensive education efforts and approved decontamination methods are in place to help prevent further spread of this disease. The fungus first was detected in 2006 in New York state and has been spreading throughout the Northeast.
Eleven-year-old girl kills hungry cougar
An 11-year-old girl from Washington state, shot and killed an emaciated 4-year-old female cougar (Puma concolor; Figure 3) on the family ranch, Methow Valley News reported. Each permit allows the taking of 1 cougar. Ten cougars so far this year have been killed in the region after attacking livestock and pets.
Sale of cougar meat banned
Illinois state Rep. Lou Lang introduced legislation making it a crime to sell lion (Puma concolor) meat for human consumption, the New York Times reported. Violators of the Lion Meat Act would be fined up to $2,500 and face a prison sentence of 1 year in jail. The bill was sent to committee.
Goose crashes through plane’s windscreen
A Canada goose (Branta canadensis) struck the propeller of a Cessna 210 Centurion aircraft just minutes into its flight from Brookeridge Airpark, west of Chicago, Illinois. The pilot was able to make a safe landing. The bird striking the aircraft’s propeller prior to entering the cockpit possibly reduced the damage.
Snowy owl irruption threatens airports
Eighty-five snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus; Figure 4) have been trapped at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, this year, double the highest number ever caught there, according to the Washington Post. When they disperse south into the United States, however, they hunt in a very similar habitat—the wide-open spaces of airports— posing a risk of collision with aircraft. This year snowy owls have been sighted as far south as Jacksonville, Florida.
Vultures attack calves
An increase in the population of black vultures (Coragyps atratus; Figure 5) over the past several years has farmers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee concerned. Harassment, often is used as an effective short-term solution by farmers, who must be present when calves are born.
Alligators overrun couple’s dream farm
Soon after Tom Christmas and his wife purchased a 14-ha farm in Centerville, Mississippi, in 2003, they realized that their dream property had become a nightmare. The reason for the unusually high population of the reptiles is in question. Long-time residents claim that Mobile imported them years ago, but no one knows for sure why, and the company denies doing so. Meanwhile, Christmas is preparing to go to court to find some answers.
$20 million program targets wild hogs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a new $20 million program to address the problems caused by wild hogs (Sus scrofa) throughout the United States. The project will be one of the first major coordinated federal efforts to control hogs and comes after a successful pilot program in New Mexico that removed wild hogs from >5.3 million acres of land.