Wildlife Management Institute Outdoor News Bulletin July 2022
Bear-Resistant Container and Toxicant Delivery Device Testing Finishes Trial Phase
In 2020, at the request of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) established a program to test trash containers, coolers, food vaults, and other products for their ability to resist entry by black bears. This program is similar to the ongoing program for grizzly bears coordinated by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) that tests similar products on grizzlies. One addition to the black bear program that is not a part of the IGBC program is the field testing of Toxicant Delivery Devices (TDDs) that are designed to selectively feed toxicant baits to feral swine with minimal impact to non-target species such as bears, raccoons, raptors, etc. To carry out this program, WMI will coordinate the testing in alignment with the SEAFWA-developed protocol in captive zoos across the Southeast (for products other than TDDs) and in the wild (for TDDs) in coastal North Carolina. Earlier this summer, WMI completed trial tests at both captive and wild locations to ensure that the protocol is sound and to ensure that the program is ready to become operational.
USFWS Provides Funding in Support of Monitoring and Communication
White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading disease causing high mortality rates in North American bats, with the disease confirmed in 39 states and eight Canadian provinces as of February 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service), in partnership with WMI, recently funded a small grant program in support of projects that focused on monitoring bat diversity and abundance and/or education and engagement of the public in conservation of bats. Learn more about the newly funded projects
