Wildlife Services Seeking Solutions Through Research

United States Department of Product Registration: Providing Tools Agriculture for Wildlife Services Animal and Plant Health Contact Information: Inspection Mr. John D. Eisemann, Wildlife Services Registration Manager Service NWRC Headquarters, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521 FY 2006 Phone: (970) 266-6158 FAX: (970) 266-6157 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/nwrc

National Wildlife Research closely with NWRC scientists to ensure that Center Maintains Chemical studies conducted for regulatory purposes Tools for Wildlife Damage meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administra- Management tion (FDA) guidelines. In addition, the Reg- Wildlife Services’ (WS) National Wild- istration Unit responds to WS field personnel life Research Center (NWRC) is the only requests for new products or improvements Federal research facility devoted exclusively to existing products. The Registration Unit to resolving conflicts between people and also provides technical assistance and infor- wildlife through the development of effec- mation to state WS programs, Federal and Consortium, all re-registration requirements tive, selective, and acceptable methods, tools State agricultural and conservation agencies, were met and the consortium disbanded, and techniques. academic institutions, nongovernmental a testament to the effectiveness of APHIS participation. The NWRC Registration Unit is respon- groups, and private industry. sible for ensuring the registrations of WS NWRC staff have coordinated two roden- chemical-based vertebrate management ticide registrant consortia: the Applying Science and tools are current and meets State and Federal Consortium and the Con- Expertise to Wildlife regulations. The Animal and Plant Health sortium. These consortia were established Challenges Inspection Service (APHIS) currently holds to collectively address EPA re-registration Vertebrate Control Pesticides—APHIS registrations for , predacides, requirements for these compounds. Partici- currently has nine active ingredients regis- avicides, repellents, snake toxicants, im- pation in these consortia has saved APHIS tered with the EPA which comprise a total mobilizing agents, and contraceptive agents. and other registrants hundreds of twenty product registrations. APHIS To maintain or expand authorized use of of thousands of dollars in data generation holds five individual product registrations these products, the Registration Unit works costs. Through the efforts of the Strychnine for Compound DRC-1339, the only avicide authorized by the EPA. DRC-1339 is used to Major Research Accomplishments: contraceptive vaccine for white-tailed deer. manage blackbird, pigeon and corvid prob- An Experimental Use Permit application • WS worked with the U.S. Food and Drug lems in feedlots, agricultural fields, livestock was submitted to conduct further field effi- Administration (FDA) to allow the use of cacy research on fallow deer at Point Reyes birthing grounds, and locations where there alpha (AC), an immobilizing National Seashore, California. These data are endangered species or human health agent, to capture numerous bird species. will be submitted to the EPA, to support use AC is an effective tool for selectively concerns. APHIS also holds registrations for on other cervid species. removing individuals or small populations five rodenticide products. These products of animals from localized areas. Currently, • WS is working cooperatively with the U.S. contain strychnine or zinc phosphide and FDA allows the use of AC to capture water- Fish and Wildlife Service and two private can be used for a variety of rodent pests fowl, American coots, rock doves (pigeons), rodenticide manufacturers to register two Canada geese, sandhill cranes and ravens. rodenticide active ingredients–diphacinone (e.g., rats, mice, ground squirrels, nutria, WS’ continued use and demonstrated and . This effort has resulted jack rabbits) in agricultural situations or for success in conducting capture operations in the submission of three rodenticide conservation purposes. Predator manage- has demonstrated that this technique is safe registration applications to the EPA which ment for livestock protection continues to to both target and non-target species and is would permit invasive rodent eradication on be an important function of WS. APHIS an important part of our tool box. islands for conservation purposes. maintains registrations for Compound 1080, • During 2007, APHIS/WS will pursue EPA registration for GonaCon™ - an immuno- used only in the Livestock Protection Collar, and sodium , used only in the M-44

“Solutions To Problems Depend Upon Knowledge, Which Only Research Can Provide” Cyanide Capsule. APHIS also maintains a Wildlife Contraceptives and Drugs—In Selected Publications: registration for acetaminophen as a toxicant November 2005, the Food and Drug Ad- Bynum, K.S., J.D. Eiseman, G.C. Weaver, for brown treesnakes. A nonlethal alternative ministration (FDA) relinquished regula- C.A. Yoder, K.A. Fagerstone, and L.A. to toxicants is the avian repellent methio- tory authority over contraceptives used to Miller. 2007. Nicarbazin OvoControl G bait carb; this registration allows wildlife man- manage wildlife and feral animals to the reduces hatchabilty of eggs laid by resident agers to treat decoy eggs to protect endan- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Canada geese in Oregon. Journal of Wildlife gered species’ breeding grounds from raven (EPA). The NWRC Registration Unit is cur- Management 71(1):135-143. predation. rently preparing a registration application

As part of a cooperative effort among for the use of a GnRH-based immunocontra- Bynum, K.S., C.A. Yoder, J.D. Eisemann, APHIS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ceptive vaccine (GonaCon™) for manag- K.A. Crane, and L.A. Miller. 2005. Devel- and private industry, APHIS has submitted ing cervids (e.g., deer and elk). Because opment of nicarbazin as a reproductive three registration applications to the EPA cervid management is the responsibility of inhibitor for Canada geese. Proceedings of for rodenticide products used to eradicate state fish and wildlife agencies, APHIS is the Wildlife Damage Management Meeting invasive rodents from island ecosystems. working closely with the Association of Fish 11:179-189. Invasive rodent eradication on islands has and Wildlife Agencies to ensure a regis- proven to yield enormous benefits in the tered product meets the needs of the states. Johnston, J. J., W. C. Pitt, R. T. Sugihara, conservation of species or habitats in need of Other contraceptives under investigation for J. D. Eisemann, T. M. Primus, J. Crocker, special protection. If registered as proposed, wildlife management include porcine zona M. J. Holmes, and A. Hart. 2005. Probabi- these products will provide natural resource pellucida for cervid and canine management listic risk assessment for snails, slugs and managers the flexibility to design eradication and DiazaCon™ for management of monk endangered honeycreepers in diphacinone programs with a high probability of success parakeets, ground squirrels and prairie dogs. baited areas on Hawaii, USA. Journal of at a minimum cost. APHIS maintains two Investigational New Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Animal Drug (INAD) authorizations from 24:1557-1567. the FDA for immobilizing agents used in Groups Affected by These Problems: wildlife management, alpha-chloralose and Primus, T. M., D. J. Kohler, C. A. Furcolow, • Urban and suburban residents propiopromazine hydrochloride. Alpha-chlo- M. J. Goodall, J. J. Johnston and P. J. • Farmers, ranchers, and livestock ralose is used to remove problem birds in Savarie. 2004. Determination of acetamino- producers urban and suburban settings. Propioproma- phen residues in whole body brown treen- • Natural resource managers zine hydrochloride is a tranquilizer used in snakes. Journal of Liquid Chromatography conjunction with leg-hold predator traps to and Related Technologies 27(5):897-909. Major Cooperators: sedate captured animals, thereby reducing • Wildlife Services operations self-inflicted injury prior to the animals’ • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removal from the trap. • Private rodenticide registrants • U.S. Department of Defense Vertebrate control products currently registered or approved for use by USDA APHIS

Regulated Products Species Controlled Uses Unique to APHIS RODENTICIDES Zinc Phosphide (3 products) Voles, mice, rats, hares, woodchucks, ground squirrels, muskrats, nutria, Some prairie dogs Strychnine (4 products) Pocket gophers No Gas Cartridge (1 product) Prairie dogs, ground squirrels, woodchucks, marmots Some PREDACIDES Large Gas Cartridge (1 product) Coyotes, red foxes, striped skunks Yes M-44 Cyanide Capsules (2 products) Coyotes, red foxes, gray foxes, arctic foxes, feral dogs Some Compound 1080 (Livestock Protection Coyotes Yes Collar) AVICIDES AND AVIAN REPELLENTS Compound DRC-1339 Concentrate Gulls, pigeons, ravens, crows, magpies, starlings, blackbirds Yes (4 labels) Compound DRC-1339 Blackbirds, starlings, grackles, cowbirds Some Concentrate—Feedlots Mesurol Aversive Conditioning Egg Crows, ravens Yes Treatment SNAKE TOXICANT Acetaminophen Brown treesnakes Yes IMMOBILIZING AGENTS Alpha-chloralose Geese, ducks, coots, pigeons, ravens Yes Tranquilizer Trap Device (Propiopromizine Wolves, coyotes, feral dogs Yes HCL) CONTRACEPTIVE AGENTS Porcine Zona Pellucida Deer, coyotes, prairie dogs, other rodents Some Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Deer, coyotes Yes Diazacon Prairie Dogs Yes REPELLENTS Cinnamon, Clove and Anise Oils Brown treesnakes Yes EGG-OILING AGENT Corn Oil Canada geese Yes

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