American Sheep IndustryJANUARY 2014Larry Clark, Director

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations

--Charles Swindoll

NWRC Mission

Apply scientific expertise to resolve human-wildlife conflicts while maintaining the quality of the environment shared with wildlife

Agriculture & Resource Protection-Aviation Safety-Feedlots & Dairies-Sunflower & Rice-Timber & Horticulture-Pacific Rim Biosecurity-Livestock/predation

Technology Development-Contraceptives-Chemistry-Genetics-Toxicology

Wildlife Diseases-Cattle Fever Tick-Pseudorabies-Rabies-bovine TB-Influenzas-Bacteria-CWD

Invasive Species-Feral Swine-Starlings-Rodents-Brown Treesnakes

Status of Wildlife Services ProductsDECEMBER 2013

AlphaChloraloseTheobromine

Caffeine

Sodium Nitrite

Authorization

CPTHAmendment

Partnering: Confidentiality, CRADA , Patents, Transfer, Licensing

•Brodificoum•Diphacinone•DRC1339 (2)•DRC 1080•Zinc Phosphide (3)•Sodium Cyanide•Strychnine (4)•Gas Cartridge•M44 (2)•Acetaminophen• Corn oil

•GonaCon• Propiopromizine HCL• Cinnamon, clove, anise oil•Measurol

Facilitated• Nicarbazin• MethylAnthranilate• Anthraquinone

DiazaCon

Other Oral Contraceptives

Anti-Virals

RodenticideAdjuvants

Species SpecificContraceptives

Management Business Decision: Go-No Go

FinalizeFormulation

Research & Development

IdeaPilot

StudiesLab Efficacy

StudiesField Efficacy

Studies

PAPP

RegistrationStudies

RegistrationSubmission

RegistrationApproval

Product

Status Under development Under development On-hold APHIS registered APHIS registered

Sodium Nitrite PAPP Theobromine/Caffeine 1080 Sodium Cyanide

Targets Feral swine Coyote Coyote Coyote Coyote, fox, wild dog

Specificity • Toxall species• Higher Tox in swine

• Tox all species• Higher Tox in cats

• Tox canines• Mod Tox all species

• Tox placentals • Toxall species

Mode of Action

• Oxygen deprivation• Methemoglobin

• Oxygen depletion • Renal failure • Kreb cycle inhib • Kreb cycle inhib

Antidote • Yes• Methylene blue

• Yes• Methylene blue

• No• Therapeutic treatment

• No • Yes• Amyl nitrite• CyanoKit®

Application Method

• Oral/ingestion• Bait• Hopper

• Oral/ingestion• Modified M-44,

CLOD

• Oral/ingestion• CLOD

• Oral/ingestion• Livestock

Protection Collar

• Aerosol• M-44 ejector

Humaneness• Time to death• Awareness

• High• 1-2 hr• Low

• Medium• 1-2 hrs• Medium

• Medium• 8-24 hr• Medium/High

• Low/Medium• < 12 hr• Medium

• High• 10 min• Transient

Difficulties • Palatability• Delivery quantity

• Vomiting • Palatability• Gut transport• Delivery quanitity

• Convulsions• Registration

• Human safety• Convulsions• Registration

Other uses • Meat preservative • ? • Human food • none • Gold mining

Registration Costs

• Low• Existing data

• Medium• Data sharing with

NZ and AUS

• High • Maintenance fees • Maintenance fees

Selected Logan Field Station Activities

Winter Spring Summer Fall

PAPP

Other Nonlethal Tool Studies- improving fladry design

- reducing urban coyote conflict

Guard Dog & Coyote Sterlization Studies

Forensic Genetics- Method to ID bear predation on livestock- Service ID predators to sheep/cattle- Guidleines for DNA quality from depredation

PAPP BackgroundPAPP: para-aminopropiophenone• Methaemoglobin forming compound• Registered in New Zealand for control of stoats and feral cats• Registration applications submitted in Australia for wild dogs and foxes• Antidote available: methylene blue

Benefits compared to sodium cyanide• Symptoms prior to death maybe more acceptable to public• Post exposure time to death longer than cyanide, therefore may allow

time for the administration of antidote to pets with accidental exposure

Hurdles to registration• New active ingredient registration in US

• Significant costs• However, US EPA and NZ and AUS have reciprocal agreement so

data from NZ/AUS registration application can be used• Registration of new coyote toxicant may be controversial to animal

welfare community

PAPP BackgroundIn-vitro techniques

Determine metabolism and clearance of PAPP• Use liver microsomes to determine rate of metabolism of PAPP• Enable scientists to change formulations to alter metabolism and therefore

clearance of PAPP

Determine absorption of PAPP• Use GI segments to determine permeability of PAPP• Determine target location for optimal uptake

• Adjust formulations to target GI locations with greatest uptake

PAPP ResearchEfficacy of para-aminopropiophenone formulation• Methaemoglobin forming compound• Humane death in canids• Coyotes detected old formulation (1980’s)

Steps completed• Tested newer formulation from Australia• 66.1 mg/kg of PAPP acts as a lethal toxicant for coyotes• death within two hours• some undesirable symptoms

Next steps• Reduce absorption time and dosage needed• Validate methaemoglobin tests for coyotes (using human data now)• Work with New Zealand chemist on formulation modifications

PAPP ResearchRed color values (to estimate methaemoglobin) in blood from two coyotes dosed with 0 (control), 4-8, or 66 mg/kg of PAPP. One coyote dosed at 4-8 mg/kg received a second dosage at 1:30 but was euthanized at 3:00. Only the coyotes dosed at 66 mg/kg resulted in death by toxicant.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0:00 0:10 0:20 0:30 0:40 0:50 1:00 1:20 1:40 2:00 2:20 2:40 3:00

Control

4-8 mg/kg

66 mg/kg

Co

lor

valu

e

I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I IProof of Concept Efficacy Trials Authorization

EPA Registration

Application Review

Prepare RegistrationApplication

EPA EUP Application

Review

Prepare Experimental Use Permit Application

q Captive Coyote Efficacy Trials

DEVELOP COLLABORATIONSNWRC, WS Operations, State, Federal and Private

aLiteratureSearch

q Lab Toxicity TrialsNWRC

Partners

End-use Product

Toxicity Trials

Field Efficacy Trial

PAPP Canine Toxicant DevelopmentPara-aminopropriophenone

Contract Lab Studies

Status

Objective 1To identify which breeds of LPDs are effective at protecting livestock from wolves & grizzly bears

Objective 2To determine if protection collars enhance performance of LPDs

Livestock Protection Dog Research

Kangals: Turkey, mastiff, 65-78 cm and 50-63 kgKarakachan: Bulgaria, Ancient breed, 63-75 cm and 40-55 kgCão de Gado Transmontano: Portugal, Mastiff dog of great size, 74-84 cm and 55-65 kg‘White dogs’: Akbash, Anatolian, Pyrenees, Komondor, Maremma, & cross breeds

Livestock Protection Dog Research

Livestock Protection Dog ResearchMethods• Place LPDs with producers• Monitor space use of LPDs, bears, wolves, and sheep• Monitor LPD behavior• Measure encounter rates of wolves and sheep, sheep survival, and

human perceptions of LPDs• Measure efficacy of protection collars

Livestock Protection Dog Research

Expected Products Determine efficacy in new landscape

– Nonlethal method to reduce livestock & LPD losses– Enables conservation of ranching traditions, predators, livestock,

and use of public lands Create best management practice for ‘new’ breeds

Status Completed pilot study

– 1 Montana ranch – 2 Hutterite colonies

Importing LPDs for 2014 & arranged training– 9 karakachans, 10 kangals, 9 transmontano

Identified producers to place LPDs in early 2014

Fladry - redesignPreventing coiling

Problem: Coiling flags lead to breaks in the barrier created by fladry, lessening the likelihood of depredation prevention

Testing: 6 designs being tested, each in two materials rip-stop nylon & marine vinyl

Expected Product: recommendations on design that is least likely to coil (completed by summer 2014)

Mountain lion predation patternsProblemLow numbers of bighorn sheepMethods• Placed GPS collars on mountain lions

• Used data to identify kills

Results

• Mountain lions preyed principally on mule deer

• Bighorn sheep were most vulnerable to lion predation in dense habitats with hiding/ambush cover

• Habitat modifications to reduce ambush cover would reduce lion predation on bighorn sheep

Electronet FencingReducing coyote predation on black-footed ferrets

Pro: Electronet fencing dramatically decreasing coyote activity in focal areas22% higher survival of kit ferrets in fenced area

Con: High costs ($4,464/km to set up, $641/km to operate and maintain)

Conclusion: Cost-effective for T&E programs where costs to release and maintain a T&E population are higher than costs of fencing

SterilizationSterilization significantly reduces livestock depredation

ObjectiveIdentify a chemical sterilization method for coyotes

MethodsTest Gonacon in males, Gonacon in females, and GnRH implants in malesCompare to vasectomized malesMeasure hormones and behavior

Expected ProductsChemical sterilization technique to test on wild coyotes

Sodium Nitrite - Swine Toxicant Development

I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I IProof of Concept Efficacy Trials Authorization

EPA Registration

Application Review

Prepare RegistrationApplication

EPA EUP Application

Review

Prepare Experimental Use Permit Application

Non-toxic Bait Field Trials

Laboratory Efficacy Trial - Pig

DEVELOP COLLABORATIONSIACRC, ACTA, WS Operations, State Offices

Literature Search

Lab Toxicity TrialsIACRC

NWRC/ACTA

End-use Product

Toxicity Trials

Field Efficacy Trial

NWRC/IACRC CRADA #1

NWRC/IACRC CRADA #2

Status

Contract Lab Studies