![]() ![]() and not have to fight coyotes.''Įnvironmental groups and their experts admit times are hard for the nation's sheep ranchers. ''You know, I could sell my sheep and my ranch, put the money in the bank, and make more at 2 percent interest. Theos, a Colorado sheepman who has served in the state legislature and has acted as a spokesman for NWA. ''Available information from knowledgeable sources indicates that losses have reached a critical stage in many sheep and goat production areas,'' Dr. None of the currently allowed methods of predator control are ''consistently effective.'' And, of additional methods, use of Compound 1080 ''appears to offer the greatest promise. Of the various predators, coyotes are by far the greatest cause of losses, he notes. Combined with a fraction of a percent loss among calves, this translates into $ 200 million to $400 million in added costs to consumers. Wade, a wildlife specialist at Texas A&M's Agricultural Research and Extension Center in San Angelo, sheepmen lose between 4 to 8 percent of their lambs and 1.5 to 2.5 percent of their ewes yearly to predators. This cleared the way for possible re-introduction of 1080 in state and federal predator control programs.Īccording to Dale A. In January, President Reagan rescinded Executive Order 11643. Last summer the National Woolgrowers Association (NWA) and the National Cattlemen's Association, claiming a state of economic emergency due to coyote-related losses, petitioned the EPA to allow them to use 1080 on an emergency basis. The EPA canceled 1080's registration as a predacide. Then in 1972, President Nixon signed Executive Order 11643, which banned the use of chemical poisons against predators on public lands. Compound 1080 was widely used against predators in the 1950s and '60s. Quantities smaller than one five-hundredth of an ounce are fatal to coyotes, dogs, cats, rodents, eagles, badgers, and a number of other creatures. The EPA's decision is expected this fall.Ĭompound 1080 is a white, odorless, tasteless poison that resembles powdered sugar. ![]() This has lead New England sheep owners, as well as those in the Rocky Mountain states, to agitate for increased protection for their flocks. They note that the highly adaptable coyotes not only are living on garbage and an occasional cat in Los Angeles suburbs, but they are seen with increasing frequency in the eastern US. Environmentalists doubt Compound 1080's effectiveness and say the poison could present a hazard to people and their pets if it is used close to populated areas. ![]() Sheep ranchers argue that losses to coyotes add $200 million to $400 million a year to the cost of the wool and meat America buys. At issue: Should the EPA once again allow the use of the powerful poison Compound 1080 against coyotes?Ĭonsumers have no small stake in the debate. These conflicting images swirl just beneath the legal jargon of formal US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearings. To environmentalists like Sara Polenick of the Defenders of Wildlife organization, the coyote is a natural predator that should and can be discouraged from preying on sheep and other livestock by various methods that won't kill coyotes or harm the environment. To sheepmen like Nick Theos, the coyote is a sneak thief who decimates his flock and survives, even thrives, despite all the traps, guns, and poisons used against it. ![]()
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