Here A Pig, There A Pig

Old MacDonald never had it so good with his own domestic pigs. But if he has a farm in the Northwestern US, he may soon regret the success of feral swine, which have become a big problem in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

That has led those three states to create the “Squeal on Pigs” campaign to encourage hunters and others to report feral swine sightings. Local newspaper coverage (see below) reports a toll-free phone number for reporting the swine, but no info on a website for further info.

Read the article in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, here.
Read the Idaho Statesman article, here.

More info from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, here.

Of course, knowing how many feral swine you have in your state and whether that number is growing or declining is always an issue. “Squeal on Pigs” is one solution, but another is presented in the June issue of Wildlife Biology. European researchers have had success using DNA from fecal samples to model a feral swine population.

Read more in Wildlife Biology. (Subscription or fee required for full article.)

Photo: A feral swine piglet.

Here A Pig, There A Pig

Old MacDonald never had it so good with his own domestic pigs. But if he has a farm in the Northwestern US, he may soon regret the success of feral swine, which have become a big problem in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

That has led those three states to create the “Squeal on Pigs” campaign to encourage hunters and others to report feral swine sightings. Local newspaper coverage (see below) reports a toll-free phone number for reporting the swine, but no info on a website for further info.

Read the article in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, here.
Read the Idaho Statesman article, here.

More info from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, here.

Of course, knowing how many feral swine you have in your state and whether that number is growing or declining is always an issue. “Squeal on Pigs” is one solution, but another is presented in the June issue of Wildlife Biology. European researchers have had success using DNA from fecal samples to model a feral swine population.

Read more in Wildlife Biology. (Subscription or fee required for full article.)

Photo: A feral swine piglet.

Is Chytrid Fungus Spread By Pet Frogs?

It’s a great question. And it is not answered in this somewhat lengthy Scientific American article, but the article is worth reading for just asking the question.

What it boils down to is this, African clawed frogs were among the first frogs to be diagnosed with frog-killing chytrid fungus infections. The are kept by the hundreds when they are shipped around the world as research animals and cheap pets. Even one infected frog introduced to the distribution system has the potential to spread the fungus around the world — particularly if the frogs are released into the wild.

African clawed frogs do not show symptoms of the fungal infection. Neither do bullfrogs, which have their own global distribution network. (They are food.)

There are lots of links in the article. Don’t ignore them. They bring you to journal articles and other supporting information.

Read the article in Scientific American, here.

Photo: African clawed frog by Chris Brown, courtesy US Geological Survey

Dumpster-diving Is Source For Oiled Pelicans

When you think of pelicans losing their feathers’ water repellent qualities because they were soaked in oil and the resulting hypothermia, do you think “oil spill”? Deepwater Horizon?

You can also think “fish waste containers.”

Fish oil seems to be the cause of oil contamination in juvenile brown pelicans in Trinidad, California, according to the Redwood Times (Garberville, Cal.) According to the Redwood Times article, lids were put on the fish waste receptacles last year, when the pelicans were getting inside and getting oiled.

While the lids are still there, people are taking them off to feed the pelicans, the article says. The pelicans also stand in the spray of waste water from the fish-washing station, which contains fish oil.

While worrisome and interesting enough to consider pelicans being oiled in fish waste containers, it is also worth considering for other water birds and other sources of oily waste.

Read all the details in the Redwood Times, here.

Photo: Brown pelican by Lee Karney, courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service

Swine vs. Alligator

Back in the ’70s, ’80s ad ’90s studies showed that feral swine were not major predators of alligator nests, says a paper in the current issue of Southeastern Naturalist. More recently, however, alligator farmers have been complaining that a regional increase in feral swine has lead to an increase in alligator egg predation.

About 590 alligator nests were destroyed on 36 different properties, the paper says. The paper also mentions that trying to reduce the number of feral swine on a property does seem to help alligator nest survival rates.

A PDF on feral swine from the US Geological Survey also includes this statistic as well as a photo of an alligator nest after predation by feral swine.

Read the Southeastern Naturalist article here.
Read the US Geological Survey article here.

Photo: Alligator nest after predation by feral swine. Photo by Jeff Donald, courtesy US Geological Survey

Swine vs. Alligator

Back in the ’70s, ’80s ad ’90s studies showed that feral swine were not major predators of alligator nests, says a paper in the current issue of Southeastern Naturalist. More recently, however, alligator farmers have been complaining that a regional increase in feral swine has lead to an increase in alligator egg predation.

About 590 alligator nests were destroyed on 36 different properties, the paper says. The paper also mentions that trying to reduce the number of feral swine on a property does seem to help alligator nest survival rates.

A PDF on feral swine from the US Geological Survey also includes this statistic as well as a photo of an alligator nest after predation by feral swine.

Read the Southeastern Naturalist article here.
Read the US Geological Survey article here.

Photo: Alligator nest after predation by feral swine. Photo by Jeff Donald, courtesy US Geological Survey

Resident Mountain Lions in Michigan?

Mountain lion sightings have been confirmed 15 times in the last several years, the Detroit Free Press reports. The article says that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes that the mountain lions are just passing through and that there is no resident population in the state.

However, the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, a non-profit organization, maintains that the sightings mean that there is a breeding population in the state. Google says that the organization’s site may be compromised, but a link to mountain lion info is front and center on its webpage. (“Cougars in Michigan: We proved they are here. Will you help protect them?”)

An article in the (Michigan) News Herald provides the details on the the group’s announcement. Read the News Herald article here.

Read the Detroit Free Press article here.

Photo: A generic mountain lion photo. Not a Michigan mountain lion.

Resident Mountain Lions in Michigan?

Mountain lion sightings have been confirmed 15 times in the last several years, the Detroit Free Press reports. The article says that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes that the mountain lions are just passing through and that there is no resident population in the state.

However, the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, a non-profit organization, maintains that the sightings mean that there is a breeding population in the state. Google says that the organization’s site may be compromised, but a link to mountain lion info is front and center on its webpage. (“Cougars in Michigan: We proved they are here. Will you help protect them?”)

An article in the (Michigan) News Herald provides the details on the the group’s announcement. Read the News Herald article here.

Read the Detroit Free Press article here.

Photo: A generic mountain lion photo. Not a Michigan mountain lion.

Summer’s Grizzly-death Pattern a Puzzle

Yellowstone grizzly

The percentage grizzly bears dieing from natural causes is up, so the percentage of grizzly bears killed by humans in the Greater Yellowstone area so far this summer is way down, says an article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide, citing data from Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.

The increase in natural deaths may be due to the advancing age of the grizzly population, the article says.

The study team is collecting data that will inform a decision on whether area grizzly bears will remain “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.

See the numbers and the theories behind the unusual mortality numbers in the Jackson Hole News & Guide article.

Photo of a grizzly bear in Yellowstone by Terry Tollefsbol

Summer’s Grizzly-death Pattern a Puzzle

Yellowstone grizzly

The percentage grizzly bears dieing from natural causes is up, so the percentage of grizzly bears killed by humans in the Greater Yellowstone area so far this summer is way down, says an article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide, citing data from Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.

The increase in natural deaths may be due to the advancing age of the grizzly population, the article says.

The study team is collecting data that will inform a decision on whether area grizzly bears will remain “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.

See the numbers and the theories behind the unusual mortality numbers in the Jackson Hole News & Guide article.

Photo of a grizzly bear in Yellowstone by Terry Tollefsbol