Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1919 — Killing Off Predatory Wild Animals [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Killing Off Predatory Wild Animals

by John D. Sherman

BHILE the appropriations for the department of agriculture were under consideration in the house the following memorial from New Mexico was read: “Whereas, we believe that the work of exterminating predatory wild animals and range-destroying rodents carried on under the direction of the biological survey duriug the past few years has been very successful, and that under the thorough organization and efficient plans of that bureau this evil will be largely minimized, if not entirely removed, provided the different states will heartily co-operate with the federal government in its plan of work; and “Whereas at the present time the funds appropriated by congress for this purpose are wholly inadequate to meet the real requirements of the biological survey in carrying on this work, and on that account the results obtained are not satisfactory in most sections of the West; and “Whereas It is our belief that the present laws of the states should be repealed, and in lieu thereof the various states should, through their several legislatures, enact laws appropriating sufficient money to equal the amounts to be expended by the federal government in the different states, and that such state appropriations should be expended under the direction of the biological survey, to be handled in conjunction with the funds appropriated by congress; therefore be it “Resolved by the New Mexican Cattle and Horse Growers’ association, in convention assembled at Albuquerque, N. M., March 25, 26 and 27, 1919, that we urge congress to appropriate the additional sum of $300,000 for Immediate use in the extermination of predatory wild animals and range-destroy-ing rodents, and that we petition the various states to make appropriations at least equal to the amounts expended by the federal government in the various states, said money, both federal and state, to be expended under the direction of'the biological survey.” This question of predatory wild animals and rodents —which are also predatory animals in the true sense of the word, Inasmuch as they raid and pillage the crops—is a serious one in many parts of the West. The case of New Mexico is typical; so the remarks of Representative Hernandez, of New Mexico concerning the situation are of Interest. He said In part: “One of the serious problems confronting- these engaged In promoting production of food crops and meat animals was the tremendous damage to growing crops and to range grasses caused by prairie dogs and other rodents, and the loss of cattle, sheep, and poultry from wild animals, investigations by the United States biological survey show that the annual losses in the United States from predatory wild animals amounted to several hundred million dollars, and the loss from rodents is probably greater. The annual loss in New Mexico was variously estimated at from fifteen to twen-ty-five million dollars. The method used by the biological survey has been perfected by years of Investigation and experimenting and Is very successful. The “kill" of prairie dogs is generally from 85 to 95 per cent by the use of poisoned oats. They followed up the work by using poisoned rolled barley and later by using fumigants, such as bisulphide of carbon, with which, if carefully and thoroughly used, a good Start has been made. “The biological survey had co-opera-tive arrangements in several states for

exterminating rodents and predatory wild animals, and in every case the results are much more satisfactory and less expensive than under the bounty system. I have before me now a partial report made by the men in charge of this work in the southwestern part of the country through the council of defense of the state of New Mexico. “In the spring of 1918 the governor of the state authorized the use of $25,000 from the fund known in our state as the war fund, and under an agreement covering the plan for the co-oper-ative work as executed. Under this agreement SIO,OOO of this amount, in conjunction with an equal amount by the department of agriculture, was set aside and applied in reducing losses in live stock due to predatory wild animals, an Increased force of hunters was placed in the field, trapping was resorted to by this experiment; the results have been very satisfactory. “State hunters have a total of 1,972 days, at a cost of $5,741.44. They have taken 642 coyotes, T 24 bob cats, 14 gray wolves, 5 predatory bears, including 8 grizzlies. The average cost of animals in June was $88.87; in July, $8.53; August, $5.93. The government operations in the state during the same periods cost $9,225.70, and resulted in the killing of 417 coyotes, 77 bob cats, 41 gray wolves, 13 mountain lions, 2 bears. No reasonable estimate of damage inflicted by predatory animals that has been advanced can show anything other than the return on this investment of a very high rate of interest. The estimate generally accepted—and it is conservative, indeed, in view of the present high value of live stock — js that eachgray wolf destroys annually SI,OOO worth of live stock; each mountain lion, $500; each coyote and bob cat, SSO worth; predatory bears may be rated in the same class with wolves.' On this basis the saving represented in this co-operative work is nearly nine times the amount of expenditure. Thus you will observe that the estimated saving to the people of the nation, you might state, is $131,500, at a cost of. about $20,000.” While the facts presented by the New Mexican representative are not clearly arranged, they afford a glimpse of the situation that prevails pretty much all over the far West, and the whole nation is interested, too, as Mr. Fernandez said in closing: “We are all interested in that industry. We send our wool —20,000,000 or 25.000,000 pounds—to the cities of Philadelphia and Boston, so that those merchants can have that product, which will Increase the employment of their people. We send our meat to the packing houses. All the American people are interested in that. There was a time when the people did not

care how many animals were destroyed by predatory beasts, because meat was plentiful. But since meat has become all the way from $lO to sls, instead of from $1.50 to $2.50, we urge that the department give us experts in co-oper-ation with our own activities for the extermination of these pests.” ft is true that predatory wild animals, like the mountain lion and wolf, are expensive. The biological survey is emphatic in Its statement that the average gray wolf kills SI,OOO worth of live stock a year, and a mountain lion SSOO w’orth. The coyote, which Is the smaller prairie wolf, rivals his big cousin in destruction. The biological survey claims to have reduced the wolf population of New Mexico by 260 Individuals in three years. Incidentally, naturalists and sportsmen will be Interested in the statement by the biological survey that in the Pecos mountain region bears have been very destructive. The survey uses these words: “During the recent grazing season bears killed approximately 125 head of valuable cattle in the Pecos region. Similar damage in the Black range and in the Mogollon mountain makes it evident that a total of at least 250 head of cattle as well as a large number of sheep were killed by bears. These facts are worthy of consideration, in view of the general and concerted efforts now under way on the part of sportsmen to enact legislation that will prevent trapping of bears or hunting them with the aid of dogs.” Naturalists and big game hunters hold that bears seldom kill big game or stock, and that when Individual bears get the stock-killing habit it is an acquired taste. Big-game hunters holding these views have been active in promoting state legislation for the protection of grizzly and black bears, which otherwise are doomed to speedy extermination except in the national parks, which are wild life sanctuaries. Tfra warfare against prairie dogs, chipmunks and other rodents is less exciting, but there is much more money at stake. In New Mexico in four summer months co-operative work in exterminating prairie dogs was conducted over 652,000 acres of Infested land, 3,403 landowners assisting in the work. An average of over 90 per cent of ..the prairie dogs was killed. On the . untreated land the total loss of the crop, or at least a 50 per cent loss, often occurred as a result of prairie-dog infestation. It Is estimated that the crop saving effected by prairie-dog control amounts to approximately $500,000. Multiply this by a dozen or more — the number of states doing the same kind of work —and the size of the job is apparent. A new angle to the situation is the recent public announcement that prairie dogs are good eating and that various towns in the infested areas are going to put them on the bill of fare.