Downside Risk of Translocation of Wildlife

1
Downside Risk of Translocation of Wildlife
http//news.bbc.co.uk
Richard Chipman, USDA Dennis Slate, USDA
Charles Rupprecht, CDC Martin Mendoza, USDA
Paris, France May 28, 2007
2
Paper Objectives

• Characterize translocation in the U.S.
• Describe substantial challenges of attempting to
  curtail translocation related to human-wildlife
  conflicts

3
Why Relocate Animals?

• Reintroduction of rare or extirpated species
• Enhance populations of game species
• Reduce wildlife conflicts

4
Translocation The transport and release of wild
animals from one location to another with
emphasis on nuisance and damage. (Craven et al.
1998)

5
Round One in1998..
6
Translocation
The wildlife management profession should
minimize or eliminate translocation where
possible.... -Craven et al. 1998 Wildlife
Damage Working Group The Wildlife Society
7
Translocation
Any translocation of nuisance raccoons,
foxes, or skunks is inadvisable.... -Craven et
al. 1998 Wildlife Damage Working Group The
Wildlife Society
(meso-carnivores)
8
Translocation
Guidelines should be developed to improve the
success of translocations....and to minimize
related problem -Craven et al. 1998 Wildlife
Damage Working Group The Wildlife Society
9
Tackling Translocation is a Big Job

• The number of
• common species
• moved around the
• landscape.. is
• probably in the
• hundreds of thousands
• nationwide.
• -Braband Clark (1992)
• Barnes (1995)
• Curtis et al. (1993)
• -Craven et al. (1998)

ICE WHALING
10
The Question..
Are there right answers in these discussions,
given the many interrelated aspects of animal
welfare, human emotion, and professional ethics
involved? -Craven, Barnes and Kania (1998)
Translocation
11
Changing Human Values
Urban Challenges
Patchwork of Laws
12
Focus on Translocation to Reduce Conflicts
(Primarily meso-carnivores)
13
Time is ripe for reexamining the issue..
14

• State and Federal
• Wildlife Agencies
• Renewed Interest
• Related to International
• ORV program

"The Buzz"
15
Primary Concerns with Translocation

• Spread of disease
• -Wildlife, Agriculture, HHS
• Rosatte (2002)
• Will jeopardize the national ORV program.

16
Primary Concerns with Translocation

• Humane aspects of
• translocation including stress and mortality
  of animals.

Rosatte and MacInnes (1986) Barnes
(1995) Hadidian et al. (2001) Rosatte
(1989) Rosatte (2002) Adams et al. (2004)
17
Primary Concerns with Translocation

• Impact to resident animals at the release site.

Obviously when we discuss animal welfare
concerns, we must consider the welfare of of both
resident and relocated animals. Schmidt (1995)
18
Primary Concerns with Translocation

• Movement of problem or rehabiltated animals where
  they will continue to be (or create) a problem.

19
All opposed (or at least mostly opposed) ..Say
Nay

• Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (1990)
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
  (1994)
• American Veterinary Medical Association (1995)
• National Association of State Public Health
  Veterinarians (2004)
• SCWDS (1990)
• USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services (2003)

• ? U.S. Animal Health
• Association (200?)

20
Real World Examples?
21
Distribution of Raccoon Variant of Rabies in the
late 1970s
Case History
Nettles, V.F., J.H. Shaddock, R.K. Sikes, and
C.R. Reyes. 1979. Rabies in translocated
raccoons. Am J. Public Health. 69(6)601-602.
Current Distribution Raccoon variant of rabies
Raccoon Rabies
22
Case History
Translocation of Canine Rabies in Coyotes to
Florida 1994
Translocation of Canine Rabies in Coyotes to
Alabama (1994)
23
Known Cases May Be a Drop in the Bucket
24
Impact of landowners
Impact to Resident Populations
Enforcement
Data Gaps in our Understanding Translocation
Illegal Movements
Fate of animals
NWCO?
Rehabilitation?
Impact of Coursing Pens
25
Whos Moving Animals Around in the U.S.?
NWCO?
Rehabers?
?
Landowners?
26

• Private Land Holders
• .. 69 of the States allow relocation by
  personal
• property owners. -La Vine et al. (1996)
• Approximately 25 of respondents attempted to
• control the nuisance situation themselves before
  calling
• a NWCO firm (about 5 tried live trapping)
• -Braband and Clark (1992)

27
Informal discussion with leading box trap
manufactures

• All 3 companies reported increase sales last 5
  years
• (10-100 increase).
• Raccoon and squirrel
• sized traps most popular
• Conservative estimate of 700,000 box traps sold
  annually in U.S.

28
Growth of an Industry

• Braband and Clark (1992)
• Curtis et al. (1993), Barnes (1994)
• Barnes (1995), La Vine et al. (1996)
• Barnes (1998), Hadidian et al. (2002)
• Curtis et al. (2003), Julien et al. (2003)

Number of NWCOs in Connecticut
29
Designated private agents are allowed to
euthanize nuisance animals for property owners in
39 states (95) while 32 states (91) allow such
agents to relocate nuisance animals. -La Vine
et al. (1996)
30
EASTERN UNITED STATES
New York
(Less Strict Laws)
Connecticut
(Strict Laws)
31
Top Ten Animals Handled by NWCOS in Connecticut
(2000)

• Total Handled 7,950
• 29 meso-carnivores
• Released
• Skunks 5 (71)
• Raccoons 11 (101)
• Euthanasia by CO2
• Skunks 72 (1,031)
• Raccoons 60 (527)

Source CTDEP
32
Top Ten Animals Handled by NWCOS in New York
(Oct. 2001-Sept. 2002)

• Total Handled 4,857
• 39 meso-carnivores
• Released
• Skunks 41 (401)
• Raccoons 54 (101)
• Gray Fox 50 (5)
• Red Fox 53 (8)

Source NYSDEC
33
Rehabilitators
34
Top Ten Animals Rehabilitatedin Connecticut
(2002)
Total Records 9,647 Total Species Count 31
(grouped)
35
Disposition of Rehabilitated RVSConnecticut 2002
36
Top Ten Animals Rehabilitatedin New York (2001)
Total Records 10,417 (subset) Record Per Region
460-1,504 Total Species Count 253
Meso-carnivores about 4
Source NYSDEC
37
Disposition of Rehabilitated Meso-Carnivores in
New York (2001)
38
Conclusions and Lessons Learned
39

Translocation is Bad!
Box-O Raccoons
Remains a tough issue in a sea of tough
professional issues.
40
LL 1. Need for More Professional Dialogue
41
LL 2. Laws Alone Wont Help
Laws Education Enforcement Reduction in
Translocation
42
LL 3 Need for More Realistic Management
Approaches to Address Translocationin Urban
Areas

• Alternative methods of euthanasia needed

43
LL 4 All Management is Local, but Cooperation,
Coordination and Standardization Remains Essential
Wildlife
Industry
University
Hunters
Health
Rehabilitators
APHIS
Agriculture
Landowners
Reducing Translocation
44
LL 5. Multiple Opportunities for Research

• Fate of translocated animals
• Impact on resident populations
• Human dimensions (public, industry, rehab.)
• Summary data on laws, policy enforcement
• Documentation of landowner impacts
• Documentation of coursing pen impacts
• Enhanced techniques for euthanasia
• Summary data NWCO, Rehabilitators

45
Conclusions

• Time is ripe for more discussion
• Focus on meso-carnivores
• Tackling translocation will require a combination
  of approaches
• Urban challenges will require creativity
• Fill data gaps to spotlight issue
• Remains Priority Issue for Rabies Management
• Thank You..