H-USN 



-2- 



6/5/31 



Hunters are sent when requested to localities where losses become heavy 

 to help the stockman and farmer, with advice, demonstration, or actual operations, 

 to keep the wild animals in control 1 A loi>c wolf is known to have destroyed as 

 much as $25,000 worth of livestock "before its depredations were ended. In Arizona, 

 another hunter found the bodies of nine head of cattle killed by a mountain lion. 

 On a sinj^le ranch in Texas one bobcat killed more than $300 worth of Angora goats, 

 and anothor killed 53 rar.s, 1 ewo , and 1 goat. In Oregon foxir coyotes in two 

 nights killed I5 purebred rais, and in Colorado, 67 ewes worth more than $1,000 

 became separated from the rest of the herd and two days later all v;erc found 

 killed by coyotes. 



These are just a few of the thousands of single instances of the past 

 sixteen years denonstrating the necessity for control work. 



The Survey men and their cooperators call it control work, because that 



is just what they ai-e trying to do keep the beasts of prey under reasonable 



control. This neans kee-qing the damage to farners and stockmen do"m to a minimum. 

 They are not trying to exterainate any species of our wild animals. 



The fact is, the naturalists vrho know the habits of the coyote doubt whether 

 we could ever actually exterminate that wily animal, even if we wanted to. 



But as long as the coyote continues to be a menace to domestic sheep, 

 cattle, and goats, to pigs and poultry, as well as to such wild anir.ials as the 

 deer, the antelope, and the z.ountain sheep, and to the ground-nesting birds, it 

 must be evident that the numbers of the coyote "vill have to be kept down and its 

 spread checked. 



However, in order to protect livestock and make far:iing and grazing possible 

 we not only have to protect the stock from direct attack by mountain lions and 

 wolves and coyotes and other predators, but we also h?ve to protect the food suopl;y 



of the stock from attacks by rodents snaller pests, such as prairie dogs, and 



£ ound squirrels, and T3ocket gophers, and rabbits, and field ■\ice, f.nd rats. Of 

 all the econo.:.ic wasters, the rat is the most gener-:'lly known and the most destr\ict 



In sa::ie cases it has been learned that some of the wild anir.s.ls cs.rry 

 diseases to domestic livestock and to hur.:an beings. From tic.e to tine, great 

 plagues sweep through the wilds; and it seems highly probable that the overcrowdin, 

 of animals in their natural range r^ay aggravate such troubles. Rats and r;round 

 squirrels lv)ve helped to s-oread the dread bubonic pla£,-ue, which is believed to be 

 the same as the fa;':ous "Black Degth," which carried away thousands of people in 

 European cities durir^g the Middle Ages. Gro-und squirrels also carry spotted fever. 

 Wild rabbi\<s can transr.:it deadly tulareir.ia . And co^'otes have boon knovn to carry 

 hydrophobia. 



On the other hand, many of our wild animals arc highly valuable for furs 

 and food. One of the problems faced by the United States Biological Survey in 

 its car.TDaign against predator^'' aniinals is how to get rid of the pests v/ithout 

 killing the fur bearers and other desirable kin.is of wild life. 



