What is wildlife damage management?

Wildlife damage management is an activity that seeks to balance the needs of human activity with the needs of wildlife to the mutual enhancement of both. Sometimes the solution to an animal-human conflict requires the human to change his or her behavior. Other times, the solution is to change the animal's behavior. Various tools and strategies are used to reduce human-animal conflict, such as behavior modification, repellents, exclusion, habitat modification, relocation, lethal control etc. As can be seen from this site, wildlife damage management is truly a diverse and complex field.  

Who owns the wildlife in our nation?

You do. Every citizen of the United States is an owner of the wildlife that lives here. All species of wildlife belong to the public. The people as a whole are responsible for managing wildlife problems. 

Why is wildlife management important?

Wild animals are an important part of our environment. For thousands of years people relied on wild animals for food and clothing. Wildlife adds to the beauty of the outdoors. Wildlife adds excitement and fun to such activities as hiking, camping and photography. As a renewable natural resource, wildlife provides hunting and fishing opportunities. Some hunters use the animals they hunt for food and clothing. Wild animals can help control animals and insects that we consider pests. Pests can cause damage to our crops and homes. 

What kinds of damage does wildlife cause?

Squirrels may find a way into your attic and chew on things you have stored there. A raccoon may tip over your garbage can, spill garbage and make a mess. Sometimes wildlife can carry diseases that can make people sick. Skunks can carry the rabies virus which can be fatal (cause death) to your pets. Some animals are predators. This means they eat other animals. Coyotes can cause problems for ranchers when they eat sheep or calves. It is not a problem when they eat other wild animals, such as rabbits and mice. 

What methods are used to stop wildlife damage?

Examples include: building a fence to keep coyotes out of a sheep pen; using guard animals like dogs, llamas and donkeys to protect sheep. Other methods are using loud noise-making devices, bright lights or shiny tape to scare animals away. Chemicals that cause a bad taste or smell to the wildlife are another control method. Sometimes problem animals are captured and moved to a different area. All these methods are non lethal. They do not result in the death of the wildlife. Non lethal methods are the preferred choice to solve wildlife conflicts. 

Sometimes there is no choice but to use a lethal method of control. Lethal methods include shooting or euthanization (injection of a drug that causes death). Diseased animals that could infect humans or dangerous animals may have to be killed. Animals are killed with quick, humane methods

Who can help if wildlife is causing damage to property?

There are individuals and government agencies who work to solve wildlife problems. These agencies may be part of local, state or federal governments. An example of a state agency is Nevada Wildlife Services. An example of a federal agency is the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services division. These agencies have people who work solving wildlife problems. These agencies provide information and sometimes equipment to solve wildlife conflicts.