Did you know that only a few hundred years ago wild animals ruled the oceans, forests, tundra and deserts? Human sprawl has forced animals to search for food and seek shelter in urban areas as well as on farms and ranches used for factory farming and beef production.  This has created what is known as “human-wildlife conflict.”  Federal and state wildlife agencies, municipalities, corporations and individuals use cruel methods such as hunting, trapping, sharp shooting, aerial gunning and poisoning to control wildlife.

Did you know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture owns more leg hold traps than any other individual, corporation or government entity in the world? Taxpayer dollars — estimated at more that $50 million annually — are spent to purchase various forms of “animal control tools” including leghold traps, neck snares, body crushing traps and poisons.  Besides purchasing these “tools” the USDA’s Wildlife Services Department also practices denning (the killing of infant animals in their dens with poison gas and/or clubbing), hounding, shooting and aerial gunning.

Did you know that many animal species are killed because they compete with income producing animals on factory farms and cattle ranches for food and other resources? Deer, wild horses, wild burros and buffalo compete with ranch cattle for food. Coyotes, wolves and foxes compete with factory farmed animals. If you want to stop the slaughter of wildlife, boycott the meat industry. Go vegan/vegetarian.Visit this web site for more info or visit this web site to find out why going vegan/vegetarian makes a bigger impact in reducing global warming than does switching to a hybrid car.

Humane Population Control Through Contraceptive Vaccines
Just as we spay/neuter dogs and cats, we can prevent wild animal pregnancy through modern technology too. Wildlife contraception has been proven to be an effective, safe and humane means for controlling the growth of more than a hundred species of animals including wild horses, deer and buffalo. The most successful forms of wildlife contraception are Porcine Zona Pelucida (PZP*) and Gonadotrophin Releasing hormone GnRH (GonaCon™). Animal contraception works by “tricking” the animal’s immune system into attacking its own reproductive cells, thus causing sterility.  Contraceptive vaccines require an injection comprised, in part, of proteins from sperm cells, egg cells or hormones that stimulate the animal's immune system. For example, in the case of the PZP vaccine, the protein’s immunizing effect works by causing sperm receptors on the egg cell to become blocked making fertilization impossible.

Vector-Borne Contraception
An alternative, non-vaccine, technique used to sterilize wildlife is to genetically alter a species-specific but non-lethal carrier organism such as a virus or bacteria so that a benign oral or vector-borne infection would deliver the contraceptive agent to have the same sterilizing effects. Researchers are currently working to development a food-type bait infused with a vector–borne contraceptive that would effectively sterilize the animal once the bait is ingested. Both PZP and GnRH contraceptive is used as a vector-borne contraceptive.

With your support and advocacy, wildlife contraception will replace lethal methods of animal population control. Contact NOA for a free “What You Can Do” kit.