How American Farmers Use Robots To Deal With Millions Of Wild Boars
the rust of leaves in the Texan night hides a nightmare 400 lb feral Hogs monstrous and Relentless tear through the farmlands at 30 m an hour coyotes lurk in the shadows with their glinting eyes killing innocent livestock Farmers wage a Relentless War their safety and sleep sacrificed to protect their way of life according to the US 20124 statistics baral Hogs have killed more people than sharks in the last 10 years there has been 1,645 attacks and 216 deaths with 38% of the victims being Farmers their estimated population in the United States has Bel wounded to over 9.3 million Florida and Texas bear the brunt of the destruction with over 3.1 million reported cases they are so numerous that farmers in these states have opened over 30 different Ferro hog hunting experiences for visitors of all skill levels these animals are ecological terrorists causing an estimated 1 .5 billion in damage each year to crops livestock and the environment feral Hogs are notorious for their insatiable appetites an adult hog can consume about 4 to 6% of its body weight in a day with a stomach that can hold 5 to 8 quarts this rapid digestive system fuels their Relentless foraging turning fertile fields into wastelands their powerful snouts rip through the soil uprooting crops and destroying vital root systems their waste pollutes water sources potentially spreading diseases like swine brucelosis to livestock and even humans according to the Department of Conservation a group of just 10 feral Hogs can devastate up to 25 acres of Farmland in one night making Farmers lose about $125,000 in revenue from their yield a year the problem is compounded by their ability to start reproducing at 3 years old at an extremely rapid rate a female feral hog can have multiple lit each year each ranging from 8 to 12 piglets allowing their numbers to explode in a short period of time while feral Hogs wreak havoc on crops and soil coyotes pose a different kind of threat these native predators are highly adaptable and can be found in all US states even in snowy areas Texas and California are the two states with the largest coyote populations totaling 1.6
6 million in 2024 unlike feral Hogs coyotes primarily Target animals especially smaller livestocks like chicken and lamb this coyote even hunted down cares according to the US Department of Agriculture coyotes are responsible for about 60% of all Predator related livestock losses costing Farmers millions of dollars each year here these losses impact Farmers incomes and disrupt local food supply chains Beyond livestock predation coyotes have gradually migrated into urban areas and sometimes they even attack humans and their pets this often occurs during the coyotes breeding season from January to March as they may feel that their territory is threatened coyotes have been around in North America for around 800,000 years making them highly skilled Hunters possessing sharp claws and teeth they can take down prey quickly in just seconds they typically hunt alone making them difficult to catch and [Music] detect the fight against Ferro Hogs and coyotes requires a multi-pronged approach building strong hog prooof fences remains a crucial first line of defense however these fences need to be constructed with heavy duty materials and deeply anchored to be able to withstand the immense power and determination of feral Hogs electric fences are particularly effective at keeping Coyotes out they can even deter other Predators but can cost between $1 and $8 per square foot which is pretty expensive for the average Farm in the US so the math of cost and size required for these large scale Farms can make this a significant challenge many farmers believe that livestock Guardian dogs such as the Anatolian Shepherd dogs and the Great Pyrenees are also a effective at protecting herds from predators in the US Farmers typically keep one guard dog for every 50 to 100 Livestock on up to 20 acres but most farms in coyote hotspots like Texas have 3 to five livestock Guardian dogs for extra security trapping and hunting remains an effective method for population control for feral Hogs automated traps equipped with sensors and cameras are becoming increasingly popular these traps can detect the presence of feral Hogs and coyotes sending realtime alerts to Farmers smartphones or computers and allow for remote monitoring and control a typical trap of this type can hold up to 50 feral Hogs and cost about $75,000 corn is often used as bait to lure them into the traps at night as this is when they are most active if Lucky farmers can trap over 18 feral hogs in just one go some Farmers also put corn in the automatic feeders and wait for them to come once they are busy eating and don't notice the surroundings the farmers will shoot and hopefully be able to catch the biggest ones Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas Partners with Trappers to catch feral Hogs and sell them to restaurants and processors for butchering captured Hogs weigh between 80 and 180 lb and can be sold for around 30 to 35 cents per pound older Hogs with high hormone levels are not very palatable and are usually just euthanized all Hogs entering the food food chain whether farm raised or wild caught must undergo mandatory Federal inspections to ensure safety Texas has adopted some creative control measures for its particularly severe Ferro hog problem here we see a professional Hunter using a helicopter with thermal imaging cameras aerial culling allows for a quick and precise removal of large groups of feral hogs in a short time a 3-hour helicopter session can eliminate over 132 feral Hogs compared to an average of only 25 when hunting on the ground farmers in California have turned to Lego hold traps and snares in these hot spots the leg hold traps the Traer digs a small hole creates a scent marking spot using lures or Predator urine and places the Trap inside ensuring it Blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment he can catch around 26 coyotes per week on this 320 Acre Farm with this method hunting for coyotes and feral Hogs is done both during the day and at night in high traffic areas some Farmers also use predator calls to lure coyotes within shooting range night vision equipment allows Hunters to locate and eliminate Predators more precisely 63 coyotes and wild pigs were hunted on this 4,600 Acre Farm last night while effective this approach is expensive with Texas alone spending around 3 million annually on control methods every step into the night carries potential danger for Farmers since the beginning of 2024 there have been seven reported deaths from feral Hogs and nine from coyotes across the US despite significant culling efforts coyotes are not only surviving but also expanding their range throughout the US and Canada one study demonstrated that even continuous removal of 75% of a coote population annually for five decades would not eliminate them hence the fight against these Predators it's not without its Innovations drones have become valuable tools in the fight against most Predators not just feral Hogs and coyotes equ equpped with thermal cameras and GPS drones can survey vast areas of Farmland detecting the presence of predators from above the loud noise or Bright Lights emitted by drones can scare away feral Hogs and coyotes preventing them from reaching fields and livestock additionally motion sensor lights and sound devices can also help deter coyotes and other animals from approaching the Farm areas by combining traditional and cuttingedge strategies American farmers can continue to protect their land and livestock for generations to come this is the animal the US wildlife services killed the most in 2022 more than 1 million European stylings were exter terminated nearly 10 times more than wild BS ranked right behind it many other pest bird species also cost the United States more than billions of dollars each year their main food is insects but they also eat crops while their flocks create beautiful aerial displays they also produce up to 14,000 lb of droppings which can spread bacteria Bird shooting and mass killing have begun to have a positive impact but American farmers will never be able to catch them all because more than a billion harmful birds are still roaming across Tennessee Georgia and the entire country so how bad is this bird problem really and what are farmers doing about it it's early in the morning and these Tennessee farmers have already headed out to the farm ready to hunt some of the most destructive birds in America once arrives he adjusts his rifle and takes aim at hundreds of birds perched on the barn roof shooting birds is said to be the most common practice but it's not easy at all especially for smaller birds like American Robin and house sparrow these birds can fly at speeds of up to 50 mph making it challenging to hit them unless they are stationary larger birds like redwing black birds and starlings are easier to hunt these two species often Gather in large flocks called mations which can number in the millions and darken entire Fields stylings are particularly Adept at mimicking the calls of up to 19 other bird species or even car alarms to deceive Hunters the Redwing Blackbird is a US native bird species with males sporting a distinctive orange patch on their black plumage according to the Red List about 211 million adult Redwing blackbirds are living in the US this farmer in Texas has started weekly hunting as the harvest season is approaching attracting lots of pest Birds to the fields and barns rifles or shotguns are typically used for bird hunting after 3 hours of Relentless shooting he has managed to shoot over 122 Birds after hunting many farmers bring the birds home clean them and prepare them into delicious meals for everyone on the farm if restaurants in the US were to normalize the consumption of pest bird meat as they did with invasive wild ball this pest bird problem could get a lot better do you think so one of the primary reasons these birds are labeled as pests is their voracious appetite for crops American Robins are extremely fond of fruits such as berries right from an early age according to surveys a fruit Orchard attacked by these birds can lose up to 30% or even 50% of its Harvest vist currently there are an estimated 372 million American Robins in the US along with other fruit eating birds they cause an estimated $16 million in Damages each year considering only Fruit Farms in New York for Redwing blackbirds and house sparrows the Delicacies of choice are rice sunflowers corn and other grains particularly during their milky stage however house sparrows are not just grain eaters they also consume flower Buds and Blossoms essential components for proper plant growth and timely harvests the most annoying thing is that all these destructive Birds only eat a little of each plant reducing the value of the produce and attracting pests when they can't stop them Farmers have resorted to altering planting and harvesting schedules for instance farms in Texas have significantly reduced their losses by shifting their corn harvesting to April when Redwing blackbirds have migrated North for [Music] breeding starlings pose a threat not only to crops but also to Livestock in many other countries besides the US due to to their excessive droppings that can spread diseases they also steal grain from livestock feed causing an estimated economic loss of up to $814 million per year according to the Department of Agriculture they are also the reason behind the severe invasion of autumn Olive and Oriental bittersuite in New York and Pennsylvania stylings aren't just a menace in rural farmlands they're trouble in urban areas too as they don't have to worry about food here and worse they've caused airplane accidents like the infamous flight 375s bird strike in 1960 where a starling collided with the plane killing 62 passengers today populations of house sparrows and stylings have reached billions surpassing even native bird populations but they only set foot in America 134 years ago both species are native to Europe Asia and Africa initially house sparrow was brought to Brooklyn New York from England first just to control caterpillars and they did this job extremely effectively however later on another 50 pairs were imported by a Shakespeare fanatic pharmacist Eugene chiffon in 1890 he came up with the idea of releasing all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works in the US this included 100 starlings and they adapted very well 30 years later they had become a serious problem in the US recognizing the threat posed by these invasive Birds the US has allowed people to kill them using various methods since the 1950s despite some controversy like using a sticky gel containing scents that birds hate there is even a poison called stde that was specially formulated to Target only starlings but extensive long-term use of chemicals can harm the environment and animals so farmers turn to more sustainable Alternatives like hunting while hunting has helped reduce the number of these pets best Birds their rapid reproduction rate makes it difficult to achieve significant control some species like the house sparrow can lay up to 28 eggs per year these invasive birds are also aggressive raiding nests and competing for food with native birds like Northern flickers or even their own kind this is a cause for concern because according to a 2022 report by Cornell University North America has lost 3 billion breeding birds since 1970 due to various factors already native Redwing blackbirds are also prolific breeders according to the Department of Agriculture Farms within a 5 m radius of their nests suffer the most damage while they build their own nests they are not afraid to engage in dive bombing attacks not only against other birds but also against humans during nesting [Music] season beyond their adaptability and prolific breeding invasive Birds also thrive in their new environments due to the reduced presence of predators compared to their native habitats this is partly attributed to DDT an insecticide once widely employed in the US which had a devastating impact on the eggs of raptors like eagles and Hawks with the band on DDT in 1972 some Farmers have begun utilizing Raptors such as Eagles and Hawks as a natural method of managing pest bird populations these predatory Birds possess exceptional hunting skills reaching speeds of up to 242 mph they Patrol Fields daily chasing and hunting down the pest Birds modern technology such as GPS tracking is also being employed to enhance the effectiveness of this method over time the number of pest birds and their droppings significantly decreases however these Predators instincts also lead them to prey on young chickens and other small pets so they requ require specialized training from professional bird trainers before taking on this task Farmers also have other equally effective measures such as netting and lasers but they can be expensive for many small scale Farmers no matter how good a measure is they must be strategically carried out for the removal to be effective so when will the US farmer get rid of all these birds this is a difficult question to answer while sometimes considered pests these common birds remain eye pleasing for those who love watching nature but there is one thing I am sure of never introduce foreign species into your country Just for kicks [Music]
2024-07-08 12:57
