Predator Prejudice: The Costly Consequences of Killing Coyotes and Wolves
The conservation of native carnivores, such as wolves and coyotes, has become an increasingly divisive issue because of the misguided belief that these animals pose a threat to the farming industry.
The controversial death of an endangered Mexican Gray Wolf named 'Rusty' for allegedly killing cattle caused a stir on social media. The Service quietly authorised the killing on March 29th, which also marked the 25th anniversary of Mexican wolves returning to the wild.
Unfortunately, these shootings have no legal consequences if wolves are considered a nuisance to domestic animals — creating conflict between wildlife advocates who want to protect endangered wolves and farmers trying to protect their animals from ‘costly predators’.
The truth is far from this assumption, as the conservation of these predators plays a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of our ecosystem.
How can agriculture contribute to the targeting of predators?
Agriculture indirectly contributes to the targeting of predators such as wolves in a few ways. The most common is loss and fragmentation of habitat.
As more land is converted for agriculture, it can displace and fragment the natural habitats of predators, making it more difficult for them to find food and shelter. This process can increase conflicts between predators and farmers, as predators may be forced to prey on domestic animals when their natural prey is scarce.
Agricultural practices can also directly target predators. For example, some farmers may use lethal methods such as trapping, shooting, or poisoning to control predator populations. This can have negative consequences, not only for the targeted predators but also for other non-target species that may accidentally ingest the poison or get caught in traps.
The impact of predator killings on wildlife
Recently, three conservation groups sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services’ over their ‘predator killing program’ in Montana, which kills or removes native predators in the state. This program recently approved new predator control efforts, which according to the conservation groups, are not based on science and leave the issue largely unregulated.
According to the Wildlife Services, a division of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), 1.75 million animals were killed/euthanised in 2021 in the US alone.
The number of wild animals killed has remained steady, with an average of 2.09 million animals killed every year.
Those numbers include thousands of predators, such as bears, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, hawks, cougars, and wolves — the vast majority of which were killed intentionally, despite last year wolves being listed once again as endangered in most of the US.
Killing predators leads to more conflict and deaths
The killing of carnivores like wolves and coyotes, supposedly to benefit the farming industry, might result in the opposite of the intended effect, ultimately leading to more conflicts and deaths.
According to the Humane Society, ‘the killing of coyotes does not reduce coyote populations’. When aggressively controlled, coyotes can increase their reproductive rate by breeding earlier and having larger litters, with a higher survival rate among the young.
Furthermore, the most common devices used to capture coyotes are cruel and inhumane. In places like Ottawa, there have been reports of coyotes missing a front paw, or with a soft-catch device on their leg.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services report issued in January 2021 suggested that the killing of wolves was unnecessary if the right measures were taken responsibly. Wolves tend to be attracted by “poorly buried” livestock, and according to the report, there was no depredation at farms with adequate carcass disposal.
Other studies suggest, that the killing of wolves ends up triggering more depredation activity and depredation was up to 3.5 times higher in zones where the shootings took place.
One of the main reasons given for the increase is that killing one or both alpha wolves upsets the group dynamics — pups are unable to hunt alone, resulting in older siblings turning to easier meals.
Disastrous for the entire ecosystem
Our global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. Agriculture has been identified as the primary threat to 86% of species at risk of extinction.
The place of wolves as the top predator in the food chain contributes to a richer animal and plant life. According to Michelle Lute, the Project Coyote Carnivore Conservation director, ‘apex predators influence every level of the food web, increase species from beavers to birds and even create healthy heterogeneity in soil nutrients’.
So why isn’t the US government doing something to stop it?
In the US, compensation totalling tens of thousands of dollars has been paid to farmers from a state fund that pays for wolf and coyotes losses.
It can be expected that these killings will likely continue as long as farms get paid for losses. The government currently kills at least 50,000 coyotes a year, using taxpayer money, meaning that many citizens are contributing without their knowledge or approval.
A global issue
The killing of predators, such as wolves, continues to be an issue in other places around the world. In places like Germany, farmers, conservationists and politicians are calling for a relaxation of rules over when wolves, strictly protected under EU law, can be shot. Meanwhile, The Swedish Parliament is also lobbying the European Union to remove wolves and bears from its list of species in need of protection.
The use of non-lethal methods to protect livestock is more cost-effective, less cruel, and more efficacious than killing native carnivores.
Another approach is to implement wildlife-friendly and regenerative farming practices that promote habitat restoration and connectivity. This can include leaving land areas of land uncultivated to provide habitat for wildlife.
It is time to stop conducting damaging practices in the guise of farmed animal protection when the reality shows that only a few benefit from it. By working together to protect predator species and their habitats, we can create a more sustainable future for agriculture and wildlife alike.
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