¢ ADC responded to more than 1,175 complaints about 
black bears in Wisconsin during FY 1996. In response to 
requests for assistance, ADC personnel trapped and 
relocated 480 problem bears. About half of the bears 
trapped had caused damage to some type of agricultural 
resource. 
¢ Arancher from Chambers County, TX, requested help 
from ADC when four of his calves were killed by vultures. 
ADC specialists investigated the site and confirmed that 
black vultures had caused the damage. The rancher had 
tried various harassment techniques to scare the vultures 
from the area but was not successful. Texas ADC 
personnel helped the rancher in obtaining a migratory bird 
depredation permit from the U.S. Department of the 
Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to selectively 
remove a limited number of the birds. 
¢ The lowa State University’s McNay Research Farm lost 
three research lambs to coyote predation in August 1996 
after coyotes continued to find ways to crawl under the high- 
tensile electric fence surrounding the research station. ADC 
8/ADC Program Highlights, 1996 
personnel removed one coyote, and the predation stopped. 
Research officials at the station also purchased two 
livestock-guarding dogs as part of an integrated 
management program recommended by ADC to keep future 
losses at a minimum. 
¢ Acattle rancher in Muskogee County, OK, contacted ADC 
for help after losing 10 calves to predators. ADC specialists 
visited the ranch and determined that coyotes were 
responsible for the losses. The ADC specialist responding 
to the complaint used snares and M44 devices and 
removed several coyotes from the area, thereby stopping 
the loss of calves. 
¢ An aquaculture operation in Scotts Bluff, NE, reported 
$50,000 in losses caused by great blue herons feeding on 
trout at the facility. ADC personnel provided propane 
cannons and pyrotechnics to help scare the birds away. 
The aquaculture producer then applied to FWS to obtain a 
migratory bird depredation permit to selectively remove a 
limited number of the herons causing the problems. 
