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to "be reduced in some localities. Othervise, they will oveiT:raze> and kill off 

 the forage plants, so the raiige will not sup-oort as many animals as it can no^ 

 support without damr-ge. 



One '.vay the investigators propose to reduce the number of deer is to let 

 other forms of natural wild-life flourish. That is, those areas would be 

 closed to private trapping and hunting of the "big flesh-eating animals. 

 Protected from hunters, those animals would help to take care of the extra 

 deer. 



That idea of leaving the wilds to its own wild ways of taking care of 

 such problems appeals to some folks as the proper way to handle wild life. 

 Just let them alone and let them fight it out among themselves. 



But it is not always safe to do that. Because often the predatory 

 animals, such as moujitain lions, and wolves, and coyotes, and bobcats get so 

 sunerous they threaten to wipe out some of our more valuable animals. Accord- 

 ing to the Forest Service, more game animals were killed on our national forests 

 by predatory animals than by hunters year before last. Tlie reports indicate 

 that more than 88,000 deer, and elk, and moose, and mountain sheep, and ante- 

 lope, and mountain goats were killed on national forests by predatory aninaals, 

 ^'hile hunters killed fewer than 60,000 there, 



T?here there is a surplus of game animtils, such predators as mountain 

 lions may do very little damage to domestic stock. 3\\t where game ajiimals are 

 scarce, they become a serious menace. The expert hunters and trappers of the 

 Biological Survey are often called on to help protect stocianon against such 

 boasts of prey. Iharing the past year, officials in Argentina, ^rero inquiring 

 about our ways of controlling mounta,in lions. It is reported that mo-untain 

 lions in that country are destroying large numbers of cattle and horses. But 

 plenty of stockmen and other informed people in this country'' will tell you thp.t 

 you don't have to go that far away from home to find cattle killed by lions, 

 and wolves, and coyotes. 



Coyotes, Mr. Redington sa^'-s, continue to present our most serious problems 

 in predatory animal control, llany people think of the coyote as being confined 

 to the Test; but they don't know the co3''ote. Those little wild dogs with the 

 cold, calculating eyes are not only found in all the western -oa-rt of this 

 country, but a,re becoming scattered in the East. Last year, a coyote was 

 killed near Jamieson, Florida, and another in the suburbs of Baltimore, ilary- 

 land. In fa.ct, coyotes are found from Mexico to Alaska, and they seemed to 

 have adapted themselves well to living in close touch with man. 



By extending ranching and agriculture iiito what was formerly the "wilds," 

 we have provided banquets for some of the wild crcatxircs. In consequence of 

 the "easy-pickings" we have provided, some of these animals have in places in- 

 creased more t'mxn they could have in the keen-competition of their native '"ilds. 



The saiae is true of some of our troublesome birds. Damaije by birds has 

 always been most pronounced where agriculture is being extended into new areas. 

 The orchard planted in a clea^ring among the foothills, or the rice field mo,de 

 in a. marsh where na.ture formerly held entire swry is im^nediately recognized a.s 

 a first-rate source of food by the birds a:id other forms of wild life. 



