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Predator supported farming
Predator-Friendly Ranching
Wildlife Wars Premieres on TBS December 27 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
There is going to room for all of us, if we manage the land properly.
That a'is what we have to look at" -- Jan Holder, Predator-Friendly
Rancher
Until recently, the words =E3predator,=E4 =E3ranching=E4 and =E3friendly=E4
generally never showed up in the same sentence. After all, why would a
rancher feel anything friendly towards animals with a penchant for
eating livestock? But times have changed and =E3predator-friendly
ranching=E4 has gained a small but enthusiastic following.
Becky Weed, for one, has bet her Montana ranch that she can raise sheep
without killing coyotes, mountain lions or bears. Along with partner
Dude Tyler, whose family has been ranching in the Gallitan Valley for
three generations, Becky developed the concept behind =E3predator-friendly
wool.=E4 Wool-growers in Montana and Idaho who are certified as
predator-friendly (i.e. they don=E2t use traps, poisons, or guns to kill
predators) sell their wool at a premium through the Growers=E2 Wool
Cooperative. In order to bring consumers into the equation, the
Cooperative also acts as a manufacturer, selling sweaters and hats made
from predator-friendly fleeces. The idea is a little like =E3dolphin-safe=E4
tuna, with the hope being that consumers would be willing to pay a
little extra to know that their patronage helps save wildlife. (
http://www.forwool.com)
In Arizona, Jan and Will Holder are raising predator-friendly beef. Over
50 years ago, Will=E2s grandfather shot the last wild Mexican Gray wolf in
the region. Today, the Holders not only support the government=E2s
controversial wolf reintroduction, but work hard to live with all the
predators who call Eastern Arizona home: coyotes, mountain lions,
jaguars, bears and bobcats. Through a company called =E3Ervin=E2s Natural
Beef,=E4 which functions in a similar way as the Growers=E2 Wool
Cooperative, ranchers, including the Holders, sell their product at a
premium. In addition to being =E3predator-friendly,=E4 the cattle are
range-fed without the use pesticides, insecticides or artificial growth
hormones. (http://www.ervins.com)
=E3Conventional Wisdom?=E4
Predator-friendly ranching questions the traditional wisdom of predator
management. Each year, Wildlife Services (formerly known as Animal
Damage Control) kills approximately 100,000 predators in the U.S., about
80,000 of which are coyotes. The numbers never seem to change and the
rates of livestock predation (3-5% for sheep and a little over 2% for
cattle) never seem to go down. At the very least, the conventional
approach to the problem does not appear to be working. Predator-friendly
ranchers take it one step further, suggesting that it may actually help
perpetuate the problem and cause harm to the environment. See The
Controversial Coyote
Predators keep prey populations -- from mice to deer -- in check. Not
only can wild prey compete with livestock for grain and forage, but
their effect upon the landscape can be devastating. In his essay
=E3Thinking Like a Mountain=E4 from =E3A Sand County Almanac=E4, naturalist Aldo
Leopold wrote eloquently of what can happen in the absence of predators.
=E3I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its
wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps
with better cause, for a while a buck pulled down by wolves can be
replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may
fail of replacement in as many decades.=E4
Predators tend to be territorial, which means practices such as aerial
gunning offer, at best, only a temporary =E3fix.=E4 When an area is cleared
of coyotes, for example, previously occupied territories open up. It is
only a matter of time before they are filled again. Coyotes also breed
younger and have larger litters when their numbers are threatened. In
other words, the more coyotes you kill, the more you tend to get.
=E3A New Approach=E4
Predator-friendly ranchers take an entirely different approach to
predation control: Instead of trying to eliminate the predator, they
concentrate on protecting the herd. In short, defense instead of
offense. Non-lethal control methods tend to be low-tech. Guard animals,
such as llamas, burros and dogs, are essential. They warn of danger,
defend against attack and, simply by their presence, discourage
predators from even approaching. Predators prefer an easy meal over one
that might just put their lives or limbs in danger.
Human shepherds are also important. Will Holder regularly rides with his
herd, moving them to new fields in order to put predators off-balance.
Predators prefer known situations to the unknown. Moving herds
frequently also allows time for grass and forage to grow.
Other non-lethal predator control methods include:
* fencing
* herding sheep and cattle together (the cattle tend to protect the sheep)
* scheduling pasture time to minimize predator contact
=E3The Nose Knows...=E4
In Canada, veterinarian Dr. John Martin has been testing Renardine for
the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Renardine
has been used the past century in England as a fox deterrent. Also known
as fox oil or bone oil, it is made from distilled animal bones that have
been turned into charcoal at high temperatures. It is non-toxic and
cheap. A 45 gallon drum costs approximately US$300. According to Dr.
Martin, three applications on fence posts spaced 20' apart around an
80-acre pasture costs approximately $50.
Renardine works by smell. And boy does it smell! Sheep farmers in Great
Britain dab it on newborn lambs to keep foxes away, so it occurred to
Dr. Martin that it might just work on coyotes, too.
So far the results have been encouraging. Coyotes hate the stuff and
will go out of their way to avoid being anywhere near it. In field
tests, coyotes would not cross the Renardine =E3odor boundary=E4 into a
pasture filled with sheep. Dr. Martin has also experimented with dabbing
it directly on sheep. The problem, however, is that humans don=E2t much
appreciate the smell, either, and Renardine must be reapplied every few
weeks. Still, Dr. Martin is hopeful that Renardine can become an
effective tool against predation.
Renardine is not yet commercially available in Canada or the United
States. Dr. Martin believes Canadian clearance for general use in
livestock and horticultural protection will be granted sometime in 1999.
Meanwhile in the U.S., Wildlife Services has recently begun tests on
Renardine at the coyote testing facility near Logan, Utah.
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Learn more!
For more information on predator friendly ranching:
* Rendardine manufacturer
* Article on Dr. Martin's research: Farm & Country magazine
Wildlife Wars Home
* Karelian Bear Dogs
* Predator Friendly Ranching
* The Controversial Coyote
* The Urban Jungle
* Credits
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