Over time, habitats naturally change. For example, a farm that is surrounded by a forest will experience natural plant life gradually inching its way back into the cultivated areas, if the field is not regularly plowed. This gradual environmental change is referred to as succession, which is a naturally-occurring development that takes place in every habitat when a disruption to the natural balance has happened. If a habitat is not changed permanently, the environment will always reestablish its balance over time.
Wildlife control is an essential aspect of managing wildlife on your own land. More problems will come about with wildlife control, the more the human population develops and invade their space. When too many of a single species are in a certain location, certain control measures must be implemented to lessen the conflicts with other wildlife species or humans. These methods are applicable even where domestic animals are concerned and animal husbandry is practiced.
The following are some of the species that might need to have some type of control:
Reptiles and Amphibians
These include toads, frogs, and crayfish. Turtles, rattlesnakes, nonpoisonous snakes, and salamanders are included among these groups as well.
Rodents
Included in this group are beavers, gophers, prairie dogs, chipmunks, mice, wood rats, kangaroo rats, muskrats, mountain beavers, porcupines, woodchucks, voles, and squirrels.
Carnivores
Bears, badgers, bobcats, coyotes, cats, foxes, dogs, wolves, mountain lions, minks, otters, raccoons, skunks, and weasels are included in this group.
Other Mammals
Bats, armadillos, rabbits, elk, deer, moles, pronghorn antelopes, opossums, wild pigs, and shrews.
Birds
The wildlife in this group includes crows, blackbirds, hawks, gulls, owls, finches, larks, kites, and jays. There are also pigeons, magpies, swallows, sparrows, woodpeckers, starlings, and waterfowls.
Wildlife Control Methods
When it comes to wildlife damage management, a range of tools and techniques are used to bring wildlife conflicts down to tolerable levels. Several techniques exist since usually no single procedure will eradicate all conflicts.
These techniques fall into the broad groupings listed below. Whenever possible, the best approach will involve using non-lethal control methods. Consideration will also be given to the technique that is least harmful to the environment. If the damage or nuisance is below a bearable threshold, you should consider using the first four techniques:
Exclusion
This includes using fences, cylinders, nets, and other barriers to prevent wildlife from coming in and causing damage.
Habitat Modification
All animals need shelter, food, and water. Remove any of these components and they cannot survive. A severe example of this involves using asphalt to pave a lawn to prevent mole damage.
Repellents
These are chemicals intended to prevent animal activity through, touch, fear, pain, or aversive conditioning.
Frightening Devices
As the name suggests, these are designed to frighten wildlife from an area using non-chemical techniques.
Toxicants
These chemical compounds are designed to kill problem animals like house mice, pigeons, house sparrows, starlings, and Norway rats.
Trapping
Traps are one of the most commonly used techniques for wildlife control.
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