Drones Employed to Deter Wolves from Cattle in U.S. West
Biologists and USDA scientists use drones, blasting music and movie clips, to deter recovering gray wolves from cattle, reducing livestock deaths for ranchers.
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Overview
- Biologists and USDA scientists are deploying drones to deter gray wolves from cattle in the U.S. West, aiming to reduce livestock depredation.
- The drones employ unique hazing techniques, including blasting music like AC/DC and movie clips featuring Scarlett Johansson, to scare wolves.
- These efforts follow the near extinction and subsequent recovery of gray wolf populations in the U.S. West, leading to increased conflict with ranchers.
- Ranchers in Northern California have reported a decrease in livestock deaths, attributing the success to USDA drone patrols and their monitoring capabilities.
- Despite the reported effectiveness, concerns persist among experts that wolves may eventually become accustomed to the drone presence, reducing their long-term efficacy.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources cover the story neutrally, presenting a balanced view of a novel drone technology for deterring wolves. They detail the scientific experiment, its initial successes, and the challenges, including costs and long-term effectiveness. The coverage incorporates diverse perspectives from researchers, ranchers, and environmental advocates, avoiding loaded language.
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FAQ
Drones using hazing techniques like blasting music and movie clips have helped reduce livestock deaths in the U.S. West by deterring gray wolves from cattle, with ranchers in Northern California reporting decreased losses attributed to USDA drone patrols.
The drones use unique hazing techniques including blasting music such as AC/DC songs and movie clips featuring Scarlett Johansson to scare away gray wolves from cattle.
Experts worry that wolves might eventually become accustomed to the drones and their hazing tactics, which could reduce the long-term effectiveness of this method in preventing livestock predation.
Gray wolf populations in the U.S. West have recovered from near extinction since their reintroduction in the 1990s, leading to increased conflicts with ranchers due to livestock predation, prompting efforts like drone hazing to mitigate the issue.
Other non-lethal management tools include range riders, fladry (red flags), and various precautionary strategies aimed at reducing wolf-livestock conflicts without lethal control, recognizing the importance of coexistence.
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