Coyote predation on sheep
Posted by Clint Locklear on May 24 2010
This is great info if you live in sheep country or work in the Predator Control Business.
Clint
By Predator Control for Sustainable and Organic Livestock Production
Identifying Predator Attacks
Coyote
Livestock can die or disappear for many reasons—predators, disease, poisonous plants, bloat, exposure, theft, stillbirth—and even clear evidence that a predator has been feeding on a carcass is not evidence that the predator was the killer, because most predators will scavenge on dead livestock. (2) The best proof that a predator has been at work—and the best means of identifying it—is when a large animal has been attacked and is largely intact, although the disappearance of young animals may also be a sign of predator activity.
Predation can have a devastating effect not only on livestock but on the livelihood of the farmer as well. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report Sheep and Goat Predator Loss, U.S. sheep and lamb losses to predators totaled 273,000 animals in 1999. As you can see from Table 1 below, coyotes and dogs caused more than 75 percent of those losses. This represented more than one-third of the total losses of sheep and lambs from all causes and resulted in a cost to farmers of more than $16 million.
According to Something's Been Killing My Sheep—But What? How to Differentiate Between Coyote and Dog Predation, a publication of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, predation has risen rapidly during the past 10 to 15 years, causing ever-increasing losses to sheep operations. Ontario producers reported almost three times more sheep lost in 1995 (3,060) than in 1986 (1,149). The total would have been higher, the publication states, if losses to dogs—both feral and domestic—and unexplained disappearances had been included. (4)
Once a carcass has begun to decompose or has been scavenged, it's often hard to determine whether the animal was killed by a predator or died of other causes. To differentiate between the two, it's necessary to examine the overall appearance of the carcass, including the condition of the coat, the eyes, ears, and feces (firm or diarrheic), even the position of the animal in death (animals that have died of natural causes are usually found on their sides or on their chests with their legs folded under them). (5)
Although the pattern of killing typical of a predator species can sometimes help identify the problem predator, an individual's killing style can overlap the killing style of another species. Other types of evidence, such as tracks and feces, are sometimes necessary to correctly identify the kind of predator responsible. (2)
The Wildlife Services (WS) of the USDA/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is the federal agency to contact with livestock predation problems. They work with farmers and ranchers to protect agricultural resources in a way that is practical, humane, effective, and environmentally sound. They can help you identify predators and offer remedies that will minimize the impact on wildlife. (6) Each state's Wildlife Service activity report, along with the state WS contact information, is available at the Wildlife Service Web site.
An excellent publication, Procedures for Evaluating Predation on Livestock and Wildlife, provides details on many of the observations that are needed to determine whether a predator is the cause of livestock death. It also provides specific information on the typical killing patterns for most of the predator species.
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage—1994 has separate chapters on more than 90 species of wildlife that may cause damage to crops or livestock. Each of these chapters covers identification, damage-prevention, and control. The 90 species-chapters are listed alphabetically. The book is also available on CD-ROM or in paper copy.
(See Further Resources: Books, for ordering information.)
The 36-page Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development publication Methods of Investigating Predation of Livestock outlines how to tell whether a predator killed an animal and how to identify the predator. (See Further Resources Books, for ordering information).
The Maryland Small Ruminant Web page "Predator and wildlife management" is a rich source of information, with links to many different sites and publications covering all areas of predator-damage control and management.