Biologists capture and radio-collar raccoons as part of the 

 national ORV Program. 



Information gleaned from this study will be used to 

 facilitate the ORV Program in planning strategies 

 in an attempt to halt the westward spread of the 

 raccoon variant across northern Ohio and possibly 

 into other States to the west. 



TITLE: Development of Surveillance Strategies 

 and Management Tools To Control 

 Pseudorabies and Other Wildlife Diseases 

 That Affect Humans and Livestock 



GOALS: Provide basic ecological information as 

 related to (1) developing management 

 tools to control pseudorabies in feral pigs 

 and (2) managing other wildlife diseases 

 (in particular, Texas cattle fever and 

 heartwater) that affect livestock. 



As increased urbanization leads to a loss of 

 traditional wildlife habitat, the potential for conflicts 

 between people and wildlife increases. Such 

 conflicts can take many forms, but recently the 

 potential for the transmission of diseases among 

 wildlife, livestock, and humans has received greater 

 attention. 



Feral hogs' high reproductive rate and adaptability 

 have dramatically increased their population size 

 and distribution. This invasive animal now exists in 

 32 States, where it causes a range of agricultural 

 and environmental damage through depredation. 



rooting, and wallowing activities. Furthermore, feral 

 hogs compete with native wildlife and livestock for 

 habitat, are carriers of exotic and endemic diseases, 

 and transmit parasites to livestock and humans. 



One disease of particular concern to the commercial 

 swine industry is pseudorabies (PRV), also known 

 as Aujeszky's disease. PRV is an infectious, often 

 acute, herpesviral disease that affects the nervous 

 system of livestock and wildlife. The disease 

 poses a potential hazard to humans (although 

 documented cases are rare) and a major hazard to 

 the swine industry. Feral hogs have been found to 

 be seropostive for pseudorabies in 11 States, where 

 they are believed to be a free-ranging reservoir for 

 the disease. 



A Landscape-Genetic Approach to the 

 Management of Feral Pigs — The feral pig is 

 considered an exotic invasive species in the United 

 States. Feral pigs cause significant agricultural 

 damage, and they are a public health risk because 

 they can harbor numerous diseases, including 

 brucellosis, pseudorabies, and foot-and-mouth 

 disease. Currently, feral pig populations are 

 controlled through trapping or shooting. However, 

 these methods are labor intensive and inefficient 

 because pigs from neighboring areas quickly 

 recolonize managed areas. NWRC scientists and 

 cooperators are using microsatellite DNA markers to 



-»' '*'*< 



Feral hogs cause significant damage to agricultural crops and 

 native habitats. (Photo courtesy of the National Aeronautics 

 and Space Administration.) 



Developing Methods 27 



