Wild elk birth control study begins at RMNP

[spectr17]

http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=14412

 

[wmidbrook]

Too bad hunters will not get the benefit out of it....sounds like the biologists will get to take the Point Reye's science project to the next level at our expense in more than one way--tax dollars and lost hunting opportunity....sounds like a PETA wetdream....birth control to prevent starvation from over-population rather than hunting.

 

[fishnhunt]

Probally won't work they have tried time and time again with no success...What they have found is that you need a closed population (no imigration or emigration), small population, need to treat 80% of the population every year (or how ever often the contraceptive requires), and you have to tag each animal (expensive because it requires knocking the animal out). Appears to me that none of these conditions are being met.....

 

[Lan-Lord]

They tried (errr.. are still trying) to administer birth control to deer here in my neighborhood community. fishnhunt is right, they have to treat 80% of the does and re-up the drug every ~2 years. The company doing the vaccination cant use guns to dart them.. so they hire a bunch of high school kids to run after and chase down the deer

They place radio collars on the does with the birth control. Funny thing was, last spring, I saw a collared doe nursing twin fawns. One negative side effect is, that the does will come into heat in the fall, a buck tries to breed her, but she doesnt become pregnant (due to the vaccine).. So that means that a few weeks later, she comes into heat again.. bucks chase the does again and try to breed... and it repeats over and over and over.. basically a rut on steroids. By mid feburary, bucks have chased and fought so much that they have broken main beams and are malnurished. The does have been chased and bred so much that they are weak and sickly looking. I havent seen any "official" reports, but Im pretty sure the mortality rate has gone up as a result of the birth control vaccine. (thank goodness we dont have a hard winter here in Tx)

 

[fishnhunt]

I truly think that they have put too much time and energy into developing this vaccine....Look at humans with all the birth control available we still can't seem to stop unplanned pregnancies. I think the vaccine might have some possibilities in areas where hunting is just not feasible.

 

[Kentuck]

What a freeking waste of money. What happens if one of those "vaccinated" elk gets off the park and gets shot? Will the meat be safe to eat? Will they know what elk have been vaccinated and which one's haven't? What about the calves that are in the womb now, when they did this? Do they abort? Stinking tree hugger science.