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With the increase in the world's population, contraception is crucial in population control strategies. Majority of contraceptives produced today are targeted at women; many of whom experience side effects, leading to the discontinuation of these contraceptives after a year of use. As the use of condoms and vasectomies has been subjected to scrutiny, it is necessary for the development of male birth control (BC). Attempts to achieve this include hormonal and non-hormonal contraception. Hormonal contraception prevents the production of the sperm in the testes; but this mode of BC has been found to be ineffective while also causing behavioural changes in men. In contrast, non-hormonal male contraception focuses on rendering the sperm immotile to prevent fertilization post-copulation. Soluble adenylate cyclase is an area of research that has shown promise in this field. Furthermore, two inhibitors, TDI-10299 and TDI-11861, have been developed and tested, with the latter, showing greater potency and longer activity, in mice models. Overall, by developing non-hormonal male contraceptives, men will have more control over their reproductive health. Nonetheless, before such contraceptives can be made widely available, it is important that further research takes place to ensure the safety and effectiveness of these methods., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introductions of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) into free-ranging wildlife can be difficult to control and devastating for domestic livestock trade. Combating a new TAD introduction in wildlife with an emergency response requires quickly limiting spread of the disease by intensely removing wild animals within a contiguous area. In the case of African swine fever virus (ASFv) in wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which has been spreading in many regions of the world, there is little information on the time- and cost-efficiency of methods for intensively and consistently culling wild pigs and recovering carcasses in an emergency response scenario. We compared the efficiencies of aerial operations, trapping, experimental toxic baiting, and ground shooting in northcentral Texas, USA during two months in 2023. Culling and recovering carcasses of wild pigs averaged a rate of 0.15 wild pigs/person hour and cost an average of $233.04/wild pig ($USD 2023) across all four methods. Aerial operations required the greatest initial investment but subsequently was the most time- and cost-efficient, costing an average of $7266 to reduce the population by a standard measure of 10 %, including recovering carcasses. Aerial operations required a ground crew of ∼7 people/helicopter to recover carcasses. Costs for reducing the population of wild pigs using trapping were similar, although took 13.5 times longer to accomplish. In cases where carcass recovery and disposal are needed (e.g., response to ASFv), a benefit of trapping was immediate carcass recovery. Toxic baiting was less efficient because both culling and carcass recovery required substantial time. We culled very few wild pigs with ground shooting in this landscape. Our results provide insight on the efficiencies of each removal method. Strategically combining removal methods may increase overall efficiency. Overall, our findings inform the preparation of resources, personnel needs, and deployment readiness for TAD responses involving wild pigs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No authors declare a conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Present an approach to the safe and efficient provision of anesthesia and birth control measures to a large group of primates., Animals: 98 hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) held in a German zoological institution., Methods: A group of 12 veterinarians, 2 zookeepers, and 6 volunteers anesthetized all animals within 2 days. The baboons were orally premedicated with midazolam (0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg) and anesthetized with medetomidine (40 to 60 µg/kg, IM) and ketamine (2 to 4 mg/kg, IM); isoflurane at rates of 1.5% to 2% was used for maintaining anesthesia if necessary. All animals received a physical examination, prophylactic medication, and tuberculin testing. For population management, the animals received a contraceptive implant (adult females), orchiectomy (young males), or vasectomy (breeding males). Young males received intratesticular blocks with lidocaine. All animals received atipamezole (125 to 150 µg/kg) before recovery., Results: Premedication resulted in anxiolysis, which facilitated separating and darting. Median time from darting to access to the animal was 10 minutes. Mean anesthetic times were 25 minutes for females and 55 minutes for males. The depth of anesthesia was appropriate for the procedures. No fatalities were recorded. One animal was injured by other baboons but recovered after treatment., Clinical Relevance: Health management and birth control measures are necessary in baboon troops under human care. Anesthesia and/or contraception of individual animals often leads to intraspecific aggression. This case series describes how to provide anesthesia and contraception to an entire troop as an alternative approach that can be adopted to future similar interventions.

Eighty percent of the estimated 600 million domestic cats in the world are free-roaming. These cats typically experience suboptimal welfare and inflict high levels of predation on wildlife. Additionally, euthanasia of healthy animals in overpopulated shelters raises ethical considerations. While surgical sterilization is the mainstay of pet population control, there is a need for efficient, safe, and cost-effective permanent contraception alternatives. Herein, we report evidence that a single intramuscular treatment with an adeno-associated viral vector delivering an anti-Müllerian hormone transgene produces long-term contraception in the domestic cat. Treated females are followed for over two years, during which transgene expression, anti-transgene antibodies, and reproductive hormones are monitored. Mating behavior and reproductive success are measured during two mating studies. Here we show that ectopic expression of anti-Müllerian hormone does not impair sex steroids nor estrous cycling, but prevents breeding-induced ovulation, resulting in safe and durable contraception in the female domestic cat., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Free-roaming cats are a conservation concern in many areas but identifying their impacts and developing mitigation strategies requires a robust understanding of their distribution and density patterns. Urban and residential areas may be especially relevant in this process because free-roaming cats are abundant in these anthropogenic landscapes. Here, we estimate the occupancy and density of free-roaming cats in Washington D.C. and relate these metrics to known landscape and social factors. We conducted an extended camera trap survey of public and private spaces across D.C. and analyzed data collected from 1483 camera deployments from 2018 to 2020. We estimated citywide cat distribution by fitting hierarchical occupancy models and further estimated cat abundance using a novel random thinning spatial capture-recapture model that allows for the use of photos that can and cannot be identified to individual. Within this model, we utilized individual covariates that provided identity exclusions between photos of unidentifiable cats with inconsistent coat patterns, thus increasing the precision of abundance estimates. This combined model also allowed for unbiased estimation of density when animals cannot be identified to individual at the same rate as for free-roaming cats whose identifiability depended on their coat characteristics. Cat occupancy and abundance declined with increasing distance from residential areas, an effect that was more pronounced in wealthier neighborhoods. There was noteworthy absence of cats detected in larger public spaces and forests. Realized densities ranged from 0.02 to 1.75 cats/ha in sampled areas, resulting in a district-wide estimate of ~7296 free-roaming cats. Ninety percent of cat detections lacked collars and nearly 35% of known individuals were ear-tipped, indicative of district Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. These results suggest that we mainly sampled and estimated the unowned cat subpopulation, such that indoor/outdoor housecats were not well represented. The precise estimation of cat population densities is difficult due to the varied behavior of subpopulations within free-roaming cat populations (housecats, stray and feral cats), but our methods provide a first step in establishing citywide baselines to inform data-driven management plans for free-roaming cats in urban environments., (© 2022 The Ecological Society of America.)

One strategy for population suppression seeks to use gene drive to spread genes that confer conditional lethality or sterility, providing a way of combining population modification with suppression. Stimuli of potential interest could be introduced by humans, such as an otherwise benign virus or chemical, or occur naturally on a seasonal basis, such as a change in temperature. Cleave and Rescue ( ClvR ) selfish genetic elements use Cas9 and guide RNAs (gRNAs) to disrupt endogenous versions of an essential gene while also including a Rescue version of the essential gene resistant to disruption. ClvR spreads by creating loss-of-function alleles of the essential gene that select against those lacking it, resulting in populations in which the Rescue provides the only source of essential gene function. As a consequence, if function of the Rescue , a kind of Trojan horse now omnipresent in a population, is condition dependent, so too will be the survival of that population. To test this idea, we created a ClvR in Drosophila in which Rescue activity of an essential gene, dribble , requires splicing of a temperature-sensitive intein (TS- ClvR dbe ). This element spreads to transgene fixation at 23 °C, but when populations now dependent on Ts- ClvR db e are shifted to 29 °C, death and sterility result in a rapid population crash. These results show that conditional population elimination can be achieved. A similar logic, in which Rescue activity is conditional, could also be used in homing-based drive and to bring about suppression and/or killing of specific individuals in response to other stimuli., Competing Interests: Competing interest statement: The authors have filed patent applications on ClvR and related technologies (US Application No. 15/970,728 and No. 16/673,823; provisional patent No. CIT-8511-P).

Fertility control of feral equids is difficult. A 4-month pilot study was conducted with a hormone-free intrauterine device (iUPOD). There was evaluation of i) device retention; ii) contraceptive efficacy; iii) fertility following device removal; iv) effects of device on estrous cycle periodicity and; v) abundance of biofilm on devices after removal from the uterus. The iUPODs were inserted trans-cervically in eight mares at random stages of the estrous cycle. Mares were confined in a paddock with a stallion the following day and remained with the stallion for 120 days. Transabdominal detection of the iUPOD, using a non-invasive handheld magnetic detector wand, was performed weekly. Mares were examined using transrectal ultrasonography on days 0 (Time at insertion = day 0), 14, and 30, and subsequently every third week to assess number and size of follicles, corpora lutea, and whether there was intrauterine fluid (IUF) present. The mares and stallion were observed daily for mating behavior. Weekly samples were assayed for progesterone (P 4 ) at day 0 and until 3 weeks subsequent to stallion removal. None of the mares became pregnant while fitted with the iUPOD. Two of four mares conceived within 30 days subsequent to iUPOD removal. Three of eight mares fitted with the device had periods greater than 14 days with P 4 concentrations <1 ng/mL, and seven of eight mares had periods greater than 14 days with P 4 concentrations>1 ng/mL. There was a marked abundance of biofilm on devices of two mares at the time of device removal., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We conducted a baseline characterization of the abundance and seasonality of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762)-a vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika-in two suburban localities of Yucatan, Mexico, as the first step in the implementation of an integrated vector management (IVM) plan combining 'traditional Aedes control' (source reduction/truck-mounted ultra-low volume [ULV] spraying) and incompatible insect technique/sterile insect technique for population suppression in Yucatan, Mexico. Weekly entomological collections with ovitraps and BG-sentinel traps were performed in 1-ha quadrants of both localities for 1 yr. Three distinct periods/phases were identified, closely associated with precipitation: 1) a phase of low population abundance during the dry season (weekly average of Aedes eggs per ovitrap and adults per BG trap = 15.51 ± 0.71 and 10.07 ± 0.88, respectively); 2) a phase of population growth and greatest abundance of Aedes (49.03 ± 1.48 eggs and 25.69 ± 1.31 adults) during the rainy season; and finally 3) a phase of decline among populations (20.91 ± 0.97 eggs and 3.24 ± 0.21 adults) after the peak of the rainy season. Seasonal abundance and dynamics of Ae. aegypti populations suggest that it is feasible to develop and implement time-specific actions as part of an IVM approach incorporating integrating novel technologies (such as rear-and-release of Wolbachia-infected males) with classic (insecticide-based) approaches implemented routinely for vector control. In agreement with the local vector control program, we propose a pilot IVM strategy structured in a preparation phase, an attack phase with traditional vector control, and a suppression phase with inundative releases, which are described in this paper., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.)

Industry-led culling of badgers has occurred in England to reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle for a number of years. Badger vaccination is also possible, and a move away from culling was "highly desirable" in a recent report to the UK government. Here we used an established simulation model to examine badger control option in a post-cull environment in England. These options included no control, various intermittent culling, badger vaccination and use of a vaccine combined with fertility control. The initial simulated cull led to a dramatic reduction in the number of infected badgers present, which increased slowly if there was no further badger management. All three approaches led to a further reduction in the number of infected badgers, with little to choose between the strategies. We do note that of the management strategies only vaccination on its own leads to a recovery of the badger population, but also an increase in the number of badgers that need to be vaccinated. We conclude that vaccination post-cull, appears to be particularly effective, compared to vaccination when the host population is at carrying capacity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most detrimental invasive mammals in the US. Lack of adequate population control has allowed pigs to become established across the landscape, causing significant ecological and economic damage. Given the need for additional tools for reducing wild pig populations, two toxicants, warfarin and sodium nitrite, are at the forefront of the discussion regarding future wild pig management. However, no research has examined stakeholders' perspectives towards the use of toxicants in wild pig management. Given the lack of knowledge, our goal was to determine stakeholders' perspectives towards the legal use of toxicants for managing wild pigs. We surveyed 1822 individuals from three stakeholder groups (hunters, farmers, and forestland owners) across Alabama during February 2018 using an online survey following the Tailored Design Method. All three stakeholder groups were generally supportive of toxicant use, though their views differed slightly by group. Furthermore, all stakeholder groups were supportive of toxicant purchasing and use regulations, while accidental water contamination, human health impact, and incorrect usage of a toxicant were stakeholders' greatest concerns. These results indicate that these groups would likely be in support of using toxicants for wild pig management in Alabama and could be a model for other states or locations. Consequently, these results have direct implications for shaping policy and possible use of toxicants as a future wild pig management tool., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

A two-year field trial was conducted in a vineyard (northern Egypt)cultivated with Thompson seedless grapevines to evaluate the effectiveness of four "alternative" (biological/chemical) treatments, Bacillus megaterium, boric acid, calcium nitrate and chitosan, against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Mi), compared to that of the nematicide oxamyl. The influence of these treatments on plant nutritional status and fruit yield and quality was also assessed. All treatments significantly inhibited Mi reproduction parameters in both seasons, decreasing the numbers of nematode galls and egg masses (roots) and of second-stage juveniles (soil). Oxamyl application resulted in the highest reductions in Mi-reproduction parameters, followed by boric acid, which also showed the highest relative nematicidal efficacy (respect to oxamyl). In the 1st season, the highest fruit yield (10.34 kg/grapevine) was recorded from boric acid-treated plants, followed by that from oxamyl-treated plants (7.50 kg/grapevine); in the subsequent season (2019), oxamyl use led to the highest yield, followed by boric acid + chitosan use (10.04 and 8.62 kg/grapevine, respectively). In both seasons, application of boric acid alone and combined with chitosan enhanced the total soluble solids (TSS)/total acidity ratio in grape juice. All treatments led to higher nutrient contents (leaf petioles) and chlorophyll levels (leaves) as well as enhanced fruit size and weight. We conclude that the tested treatments can be safely applied for nematode management in Thompson seedless grapevines, with positive effects on fruit yield and quality., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Wild boar and feral swine number and range are increasing worldwide in parallel with their impact on biodiversity and human activities. The ecological and economic impact of this species include spread of diseases, vehicle collisions, damage to crops, amenities and infrastructures and reduction in plant and animal abundance and richness. As traditional methods such as culling have not contained the growth and spread of wild boar and feral pigs, alternative methods such as fertility control are now advocated. We used empirical data on two isolated wild boar populations to model and compare the effects of different regimes of culling and fertility control on population trends. We built a Bayesian population model and applied it to explore the implications for population control of various management options combining culling and/or contraception. The results showed that, whilst fertility control on its own was not sufficient to achieve the target reduction in wild boar number, adding fertility control to culling was more effective than culling alone. In particular, using contraceptives on 40% of the population to complement the culling of 60% of the animals, halved the time to achieve our target reduction compared with culling only. We conclude that, assuming the effort of adding fertility control to culling was found to be cost-effective in terms of population reduction, these two methods should be used simultaneously if a rapid decrease in wild boar number is required for a closed population., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Irrigation systems have been identified as one of the factors promoting malaria disease around agricultural farms in sub-Saharan Africa. However, if improved water management strategy is adopted during rice cultivation, it may help to reduce malaria cases among human population living around rice fields. This study aimed to assess the impact of the different irrigation practices on malaria transmission, as well as to evaluate the water management system that will best mitigate malaria transmission in Malanville, Benin., Methods: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) study was conducted on 104 households staying on and around the rice fields in Malanville. The study focused on the frequency of mosquito bites and preventive measures against malaria as well as soil preparation and rice planting methods. Mosquito larvae density was assessed in different water management system: continuous flooding (CF) or intermittent flooding (IF), deep tillage (DT) or minimal tillage (MT) and normal levelling (NL) or abnormal levelling (AL) in an experimental hut set-up. Larvae were collected using dipping methods and their density was determined., Results: Three tillage systems, which include the use of tiller, plow and hoe, were identified on the rice field. Continuous flooding was the only irrigation system used by farmers. Retrospective data from Malanville Health Centre revealed higher malaria cases during rice production season, which was also confirmed by field participants. The density of Anopheles larvae was reduced by 80.8%, 30.8% and 40.7% (P = 0.000) during transplanting, tillering and maturation periods, respectively with intermittent flooding compared to continuous flooding. In addition, a clear reduction of larva density was observed with both intermittent flooding systems applied to minimal tillage (MT + IF + NL) and intermittent flooding applied to deep tillage (DT + IF + AL), showing that intermittent flooding could reduce the abundance of malaria vector in rice fields., Conclusion: Recommending intermittent flooding technology for rice cultivation may not only be useful for water management but could also be an intentional strategy to control mosquitoes vector-borne diseases around rice farms.

Family planning programmes in India have historically been target-driven and incentive-based with sterilisation seen as a key component of controlling population growth. This opinion paper uses India as the backcloth to examine the ethics of using incentive policy measures to promote and secure sterilisations within communities. Whilst we acknowledge that these measures have some value in reproductive health care, their use raises specific issues and wider concerns where the outcome is likely to be permanent and life changing for the acceptor.

Genetically modified conditional lethal strains have been created to improve the control of insect pest populations damaging to human health and agriculture. However, understanding the potential for the genetic breakdown of lethality systems by rare spontaneous mutations, or selection for inherent suppressors, is critical since field release studies are in progress. This knowledge gap was addressed in a Drosophila tetracycline-suppressible embryonic lethality system by analyzing the frequency and structure of primary-site spontaneous mutations and second-site suppressors resulting in heritable survivors from 1.2 million zygotes. Here we report that F 1 survivors due to primary-site deletions and indels occur at a 5.8 × 10 -6 frequency, while survival due to second-site maternal-effect suppressors occur at a ~10 -5 frequency. Survivors due to inherent lethal effector suppressors could result in a resistant field population, and we suggest that this risk may be mitigated by the use of dual redundant, albeit functionally unrelated, lethality systems.

Introduction: Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), a lethal tick-borne Rickettsioses (2000 - 2018 >600 human deaths) involving synanthropic capybara as host., Methods: We introduced an alternative to mitigate human-capybara conflicts and epidemiologic concerns of BSF. Complex aspects like transmission dynamics, risk areas, host mobility, and birth rate control, were considered to develop a prevention strategy using an anti-GnRH vaccine., Results: The propositioned immunocontraceptive potentially remove and prevent the spread of BSF from endemic areas., Conclusions: We propose the anti-GnRH vaccine as a BSF prevention strategy based on these favorable results.

Controlling wildlife populations to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and the spread of zoonotic diseases is an ever-growing necessity. The objective of this study was to evaluate a single-dose anti-gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine (GonaCon, USDA/NWRC, Fort Collins, CO, USA) as a non-lethal alternative for population control in free-ranging, synanthropic male capybara. In addition to infertility efficacy of this treatment, potential effects on the alpha male's secondary sexual characteristics and agonist behavior need to be assessed because any alterations in these factors could lead to population management failure. The treatment group (n = 3) received 1 mL of the anti-GnRH vaccine, intramuscularly, and the control group (n = 2) a 1 mL sham vaccine. Reproductive behavior and social group dynamics were monitored for 30 days prior to inoculation (June 2017) with continuous observations occurring during the study period. Antifertility effects were assessed by conducting exams of testicular morphology, semen characteristics, and histological analysis (after 270 days via hemi-gonadectomy). Compared to the control group, the testicles of the treated males had severe atrophy (P <  0.05), oligozoospermia and greater numbers of sperm cells in a static developmental phase. Courtship and agonistic alpha male behavior were not altered, and the group's social integrity was maintained. Results indicate there was 100% infertility in capybara males, observed throughout the study period of 18 months, and equally important, the male's alpha characteristics were not affected by the treatment, which is imperative for successful capybara population control efforts., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: China announced the implementation of the universal two-child policy in Oct, 2015; every couple was allowed to have two children. However, its influences on maternal well-being and infants' outcomes are still to be discovered., Objectives: To detect influences of the universal two-child policy. To provide information for maternal health care under the new policy., Study Design: This study enrolled 859 and 1230 women who delivered their second child (hereafter second-time mothers) before and after the policy's implementation, respectively, and the data included maternal demographic characteristics, gestational complications, delivery mode and infants' outcomes., Results: After the policy's implementation, the proportion of second-time mothers with advanced age increased significantly. The advanced gestational age is well acknowledged to correlate with higher risk during the pregnancy, both for pregnant women and their babies. However, in our study, the incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, placenta previa and postpartum haemorrhage decreased significantly after the introduction of the policy and no differences were noted in other gestational complications. Moreover, the hospitalization time was shortened, and caesarean delivery was chosen less frequently. As for the infants, foetal distress exhibited an alleviation and the incidence of premature labour and low birth weight decreased as well., Conclusions: Even though the age of second-time mothers increased after the introduction of the universal two-child policy, their general gestational health condition improved and their infants also exhibited a better outcome, which might be attributed to the improvement of China's maternal medical care system., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The feral pig populations of many countries continue to increase. Scientific studies on population size are scarce, while the numbers of reported observations on presence of and damage caused by feral pigs are increasing. Feral pigs can carry and spread several diseases (including zoonotic), but African Swine Fever (ASF) is of most concern. It is a highly transmissible viral disease associated with an extremely high mortality rate. Since 2009 ASF has appeared in several European countries, with cases being identified first among local feral pigs and consequently in domestic pig production units, indicating a clear linkage with the movement of the feral pig population and the spread of the disease across national boundaries. Control of feral pig populations is currently under discussion. Because massive culling raises questions of animal welfare and ethics, fertility control could represent an important and effective means to control feral pig populations. Contraceptive vaccines have been used with some degree of success in many wild species because they are able to provide a long-term effect without any consequent health problems. However, extensive and efficacious use of vaccines to control feral pig populations is not simple. The aim of this article was to review the progress in immunocontraception use in feral pigs, providing an account of the current status and future perspectives., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Food security remains a principal challenge in the developing tropics where communities rely heavily on marine-based protein. While some improvements in fisheries management have been made in these regions, a large fraction of coastal fisheries remain unmanaged, mismanaged, or use only crude input controls. These quasi-open-access conditions often lead to severe overfishing, depleted stocks, and compromised food security. A possible fishery management approach in these institution-poor settings is to implement fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs). Although the primary push for MPAs has been to solve the conservation problems that arise from mismanagement, MPAs can also benefit fisheries beyond their borders. The literature has not completely characterized how to design MPAs under diverse ecological and economic conditions when food security is the objective. We integrated four key biological and economic variables (i.e., fish population growth rate, fish mobility, fish price, and fishing cost) as well as an important aspect of reserve design (MPA size) into a general model and determined their combined influence on food security when MPAs are implemented in an open-access setting. We explicitly modeled open-access conditions that account for the behavioral response of fishers to the MPA; this approach is distinct from much of the literature that focuses on assumptions of "scorched earth" (i.e., severe over-fishing), optimized management, or an arbitrarily defined fishing mortality outside the MPA's boundaries. We found that the MPA size that optimizes catch depends strongly on economic variables. Large MPAs optimize catch for species heavily harvested for their high value and/or low harvesting cost, while small MPAs or no closure are best for species lightly harvested for their low value and high harvesting cost. Contrary to previous theoretical expectations, both high and low mobility species are expected to experience conservation benefits from protection, although, as shown previously, greater conservation benefits are expected for low mobility species. Food security benefits from MPAs can be obtained from species of any mobility. Results deliver both qualitative insights and quantitative guidance for designing MPAs for food security in open-access fisheries.

Exocrine gland-secreting peptide 22 (ESP22) is a 10-kDa protein secreted in tears of juvenile mice. ESP22 inhibits sexual behaviors in adults, leading to a reduction in reproduction rate. We herein identified the 24 amino acid sequence within ESP22 that was essential for exhibiting sexual rejection activity. This synthesizable peptide can be useful for controlling mouse overpopulation.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally safe and proven technology to suppress wild populations. To further advance its utility, a novel CRISPR-based technology termed precision guided SIT (pgSIT) is described. PgSIT mechanistically relies on a dominant genetic technology that enables simultaneous sexing and sterilization, facilitating the release of eggs into the environment ensuring only sterile adult males emerge. Importantly, for field applications, the release of eggs will eliminate burdens of manually sexing and sterilizing males, thereby reducing overall effort and increasing scalability. Here, to demonstrate efficacy, we systematically engineer multiple pgSIT systems in Drosophila which consistently give rise to 100% sterile males. Importantly, we demonstrate that pgSIT-generated sterile males are fit and competitive. Using mathematical models, we predict pgSIT will induce substantially greater population suppression than can be achieved by currently-available self-limiting suppression technologies. Taken together, pgSIT offers to potentially transform our ability to control insect agricultural pests and disease vectors.

Implementation of cat population management strategies that are effective and supported by the community requires knowledge of local contexts, public values, and preferences. From 2014 to 2015 the Guelph Cat Population Taskforce surveyed Guelph, Ontario residents to investigate attitudes and values concerning community cats and preferences for cat population management. Responses from 449 individuals were received through a combination of paper and online surveys. The results of a qualitative analysis of 7 open-ended survey questions are reported herein. Results indicate that community cat issues are largely attributed to perceptions of irresponsible pet ownership practices, highlighting the opportunity for public education. Participants identified the whole community as responsible for addressing the problem, suggesting the value of collaborative management approaches. This analysis also illuminated opportunities for combining well-supported strategies such as accessible or low-cost spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return (TNR) to implement a multifaceted approach. Overall, Guelph residents who responded to the survey gave a high priority to proactive, humane management of community cats.

In 2014, 116 Guelph residents were surveyed to investigate attitudes about community cats and preferences for population management. There are an estimated 29 579 owned cats in Guelph, an estimated 40% of residents allow outdoor access to their cat(s), and 8054 households (15%) feed community cats. Participants reported more concern with community cat welfare than nuisance behavior. There were high levels of support for responsible pet ownership education (90%), accessible or low-cost spay/neuter (86%), and trap-neuter-return (78%), and low levels of support for inaction (4%) and euthanasia (20%). Respondents who did not own cats or who considered cats as "pests" or a "non-native, invasive species" were more supportive of euthanasia. Results suggest that Guelph residents want to see action taken to address community cat population concerns, and that proactive management tools such as education, accessible or low-cost spay/neuter, and trap-neuter-return would be well supported and less divisive than euthanasia.

Over the past decade historians have explored the rise of the mid-twentieth-century population/family planning movement on both the international and the local levels. This article bridges the gap between these studies by exploring the work diaries of Dr. Adaline Pendleton ("Penny") Satterthwaite, a midlevel technical advisor who traveled to over two dozen countries for the Population Council from 1965 to 1974. Penny's diaries draw our attention to a diverse network of advocates who mediated between international population activists, state actors, and local communities while also acting as conduits for the transnational spread of strategies and resources. Her experiences also provide evidence of the coercive practices, gendered tensions, and political conflicts shaping the movement while illustrating the resistance and engagement of local actors, the existence of health- and women-centered approaches even during the high period of population control, and the many structural and social barriers shaping family planning projects in practice.

This study evaluated the antifertility activity of methanolic extract of Chenopodium ambrosioides leaf on male rats. During the experiment, different doses of extract (0, 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg) were orally administered to rats for 28 days. Analysis of sperm parameters revealed a dose-dependent decrease in sperm motility, viability and daily sperm production (DSP). While, increased oxidative stress in reproductive organs; and impaired testicular and epididymal histology was also evident in high dose regimen. Furthermore, a reduction in concentrations of plasma testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) was also recorded. Reduced pregnancy outcome and small litter size in the females paired with treated male rats after 30 days of treatment withdrawn was noted in higher doses. From these findings, it is concluded that the methanolic leaf extract of C. ambrosioides is quite effective in reversible suppression of male fertility., (© 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Synthetic gene drives offer a novel solution for the control of invasive alien species. CRISPR-based gene drives can positively bias their own inheritance, and comprise a DNA sequence that is replicated by homologous recombination. Since gene drives can be positioned to silence fertility or developmental genes, they could be used for population suppression. However, the production of resistant alleles following self-replication errors threatens the technology's viability for pest eradication in real-world applications. Further, a robust assessment of how pest demography impacts the expected progression of gene drives through populations is currently lacking. We used a deterministic, two-sex, birth-death model to investigate how demographic assumptions affect the efficiency of suppression drives for controlling invasive rodents on islands, for two different gene-drive strategies. We show that mass-action reproduction results in overly optimistic eradication outcomes when compared to the more realistic assumption of polygynous breeding. When polygyny was assumed, both gene-strategies failed due to the evolution of resistance unless a reproductive Allee effect (reduced reproductive rates at low population density) was also included; although model outcomes were highly sensitive to the strength of this effect. Increasing the size of the initial gene-drive introduction (up to 10% of carrying capacity) had little impact on population outcomes. Understanding the demography of a population targeted for eradication is critical before the viability of gene-drive suppression can be adequately assessed., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The ability to erect rationally-engineered reproductive barriers in animal or plant species promises to enable a number of biotechnological applications such as the creation of genetic firewalls, the containment of gene drives or novel population replacement and suppression strategies for genetic control. However, to date no experimental data exist that explores this concept in a multicellular organism. Here we examine the requirements for building artificial reproductive barriers in the metazoan model Drosophila melanogaster by combining CRISPR-based genome editing and transcriptional transactivation (CRISPRa) of the same loci. We directed 13 single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to the promoters of 7 evolutionary conserved genes and used 11 drivers to conduct a misactivation screen. We identify dominant-lethal activators of the eve locus and find that they disrupt development by strongly activating eve outside its native spatio-temporal context. We employ the same set of sgRNAs to isolate, by genome editing, protective INDELs that render these loci resistant to transactivation without interfering with target gene function. When these sets of genetic components are combined we find that complete synthetic lethality, a prerequisite for most applications, is achievable using this approach. However, our results suggest a steep trade-off between the level and scope of dCas9 expression, the degree of genetic isolation achievable and the resulting impact on fly fitness. The genetic engineering strategy we present here allows the creation of single or multiple reproductive barriers and could be applied to other multicellular organisms such as disease vectors or transgenic organisms of economic importance.

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) population spread into urban and periurban areas has exacerbated conflicts with humans. There is a need for planned wild boar management strategies, and Population viability analysis (PVA) combined with perturbation analyses allow the assessment of the management effort of control methods. Our study aims to develop stochastic predictive models of the increasing wild boar population of the 80 km2 peri-urban Mediterranean area of Collserola Natural Park (CNP), located near Barcelona, Spain, as well as assessing specific management measures (including reduced food availability, selective harvest, and reduction in fertility). Population parameters were estimated from previously published census and hunting data provided by the CNP and the local hunting administration. The results revealed that under the current conditions the CNP wild boar population will continue to increase. The most efficient strategy to reduce wild boar abundance was a combination of reducing supplementary anthropogenic food resources and selective removal of juvenile (<1 year) and yearling (1-2 years) wild boar. These strategies will probably be also the most efficient ones in other oversupplemented increasing wild boar populations in similar situations, although specific studies will be needed to fine-tune the best management option for each context. PVA allows the prediction of future population trends and the assessment of the efficacy and efficiency of potential management strategies before implementing management measures., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Optimal age for ovariohysterectomy or castration has not been defined in the scientific literature. Bitches and queens are significantly less likely to develop mammary neoplasia, which has a high incidence and potentially high morbidity and mortality, if spayed when young. Tom cats exhibit undesirable behaviors that preclude them being good pets and should be castrated young. There is no compelling reason to castrate male dogs when young unless it is needed to control reproductive behaviors or prevent indiscriminate breeding. Alternatives to surgical sterilization that may be available in the future include intratesticular injection and immunization against gonadotropin-releasing hormone., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, there has been a growing concern regarding populations of cats who are homeless. Shelters are constantly overwhelmed by the influx of cats without caregivers and are seeking solutions to enhance positive outcomes for them. In 2014, the Guelph Humane Society implemented a population management program to expedite the movement of cats through the shelter by decreasing the average nonhuman animal's length of stay using scheduled intakes to control for overcrowding and by implementing strategies to increase adoption rates. This study investigated the time trends in admission rates of cats to the Guelph Humane Society to assess the effectiveness of a population management program called Capacity for Care using a generalized linear autoregressive moving average model. From January 2011 to December 2015, a total of 3295 live cats were admitted to the Guelph Humane Society. When the analysis was adjusted to account for admissions of kittens, there was a significant reduction in admissions for adult cats (p < .01) following the introduction of the population management program. The results also showed a strong seasonal peak in total admissions during the summer months.

Providing food to wildlife during periods when natural food is limited results in aggregations that may facilitate disease transmission. This is exemplified in western Wyoming where institutional feeding over the past century has aimed to mitigate wildlife-livestock conflict and minimize winter mortality of elk ( Cervus canadensis ). Here we review research across 23 winter feedgrounds where the most studied disease is brucellosis, caused by the bacterium Brucella abortus Traditional veterinary practices (vaccination, test-and-slaughter) have thus far been unable to control this disease in elk, which can spill over to cattle. Current disease-reduction efforts are being guided by ecological research on elk movement and density, reproduction, stress, co-infections and scavengers. Given the right tools, feedgrounds could provide opportunities for adaptive management of brucellosis through regular animal testing and population-level manipulations. Our analyses of several such manipulations highlight the value of a research-management partnership guided by hypothesis testing, despite the constraints of the sociopolitical environment. However, brucellosis is now spreading in unfed elk herds, while other diseases (e.g. chronic wasting disease) are of increasing concern at feedgrounds. Therefore experimental closures of feedgrounds, reduced feeding and lower elk populations merit consideration.This article is part of the theme issue 'Anthropogenic resource subsidies and host-parasite dynamics in wildlife'., (© 2018 The Authors.)

Castration of dogs is a widespread practise with clear justification in population control and knock-on benefits for animal welfare. Deleterious behavioural consequences of castration are believed to be negligible. Gonadectomy is widely recommended as part of a multi-factorial approach to prevent problems including aggression in dogs. However, the consequences of early castration on health are still being debated. The current study focused on the reported behaviour of 6,235 male dogs castrated before 520 weeks of life for reasons other than behavioural management, and calculated their percentage lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones (PLGH) as a proportion of their age at the time of being reported to the online Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). Forty behaviors differed between entire and castrated dogs, of which 25 were associated with PLGH and 14 with age-at-castration (AAC). Only 2 behaviours, indoor urine marking and howling when left alone, were significantly more likely in dogs with longer PLGH. In contrast, longer PLGH was associated with significantly reduced reporting of 26 (mostly unwelcome) behaviours. Of these, 8 related to fearfulness and 7 to aggression. The current data suggest that dogs' tendency to show numerous behaviours can be influenced by the timing of castration. They indicate how dog behaviour matures when gonadal hormones are allowed to have their effect. The differences reported here between undesirable behaviours of castrated and intact dogs were in the range of 5.04% and 12.31%, suggesting that, for some dogs, partial or complete denial of puberty may reduce indoor urine-marking but have many other undesirable consequences. Veterinarians may use these data to discuss unwelcome consequences with owners of male dogs before castration.

ABSTRACTObjective:Our objective was to evaluate long-term altered appearance, distress, and body image in posttreatment breast cancer patients and compare them with those of patients undergoing active treatment and with general population controls., Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey between May and December of 2010. We studied 138 breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment and 128 posttreatment patients from 23 Korean hospitals and 315 age- and area-matched subjects drawn from the general population. Breast, hair, and skin changes, distress, and body image were assessed using visual analogue scales and the EORTC BR-23. Average levels of distress were compared across groups, and linear regression was utilized to identify the factors associated with body image., Results: Compared to active-treatment patients, posttreatment patients reported similar breast changes (6.6 vs. 6.2), hair loss (7.7 vs. 6.7), and skin changes (5.8 vs. 5.4), and both groups had significantly more severe changes than those of the general population controls (p < 0.01). For a similar level of altered appearance, however, breast cancer patients experienced significantly higher levels of distress than the general population. In multivariate analysis, patients with high altered appearance distress reported significantly poorer body image (-20.7, CI95% = -28.3 to -13.1) than patients with low distress., Significance of Results: Posttreatment breast cancer patients experienced similar levels of altered appearance, distress, and body-image disturbance relative to patients undergoing active treatment but significantly higher distress and poorer body image than members of the general population. Healthcare professionals should acknowledge the possible long-term effects of altered appearance among breast cancer survivors and help them to manage the associated distress and psychological consequences.

The impact of introduced predators is a major factor limiting survivorship and recruitment of many native Australian species. In particular, the feral cat and red fox have been implicated in range reductions and population declines of many conservation dependent species across Australia, including ground-nesting birds and small to medium-sized mammals. The impact of predation by feral cats since their introduction some 200 years ago has altered the structure of native fauna communities and led to the development of landscape-scale threat abatement via baiting programs with the feral cat bait, Eradicat. Demonstrating the effectiveness of broad-scale programs is essential for managers to fine tune delivery and timing of baiting. Efficacy of feral cat baiting at the Fortescue Marsh in the Pilbara, Western Australia was tested using camera traps and occupancy models. There was a significant decrease in probability of site occupancy in baited sites in each of the five years of this study, demonstrating both the effectiveness of aerial baiting for landscape-scale removal of feral cats, and the validity of camera trap monitoring techniques for detecting changes in feral cat occupancy during a five-year baiting program.

Purpose: The development, implementation, and scaling of 3 population-based specialty care programs in a large integrated healthcare system are reviewed, and the role of clinical pharmacy services in ensuring safe, effective, and affordable care is highlighted., Summary: The Kaiser Permanente (KP) integrated healthcare delivery model allows for rapid development and expansion of innovative population management programs involving pharmacy services. Clinical pharmacists have assumed integral roles in improving the safety and effectiveness of high-complexity, high-cost care for specialty populations. These roles require an appropriate practice scope and are supported by an advanced electronic health record with disease registries and electronic surveillance tools for care-gap identification. The 3 specialty population programs described were implemented to address variation or unrecognized gaps in care for at-risk specialty populations. The Home Phototherapy Program has leveraged internal partnerships with clinical pharmacists to improve access to cost-effective nonpharmacologic interventions for psoriasis and other skin disorders. The Multiple Sclerosis Care Program has incorporated clinical pharmacists into neurology care in order to apply clinical guidelines in a systematic manner. The KP SureNet program has used clinical pharmacists and data analytics to identify opportunities to prevent drug-related adverse outcomes and ensure timely follow-up., Conclusion: Specialty care programs improve quality, cost outcomes, and the patient experience by appropriating resources to provide systematic and targeted care to high-risk patients. KP leverages an integration of people, processes, and technology to develop and scale population-based specialty care., (Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Feral horses are a significant pest species in many parts of the world, contributing to land erosion, weed dispersal and the loss of native flora and fauna. There is an urgent need to modify feral horse management strategies to achieve public acceptance and long-term population control. One way to achieve this is by using non-surgical methods of sterilisation, which are suitable in the context of this mobile and long-lived species. In this review we consider the benefits of implementing novel mechanisms designed to elicit a state of permanent sterility (including redox cycling to generate oxidative stress in the gonad, random peptide phage display to target non-renewable germ cells and the generation of autoantibodies against proteins essential for conception via covalent modification) compared with that of traditional immunocontraceptive approaches. The need for a better understanding of mare folliculogenesis and conception factors, including maternal recognition of pregnancy, is also reviewed because they hold considerable potential in providing a non-surgical mechanism for sterilisation. In conclusion, the authors contend that non-surgical measures that are single shot and irreversible may provide a sustainable and effective strategy for feral horse control.

Spay/neuter (S/N) programs aim to reduce shelter intake and euthanasia. However, there is little published evidence of a causal effect between S/N programs and shelter intake or euthanasia. To uncover any ancillary effects of S/N, this study examined the impact of S/N door-to-door outreach on welfare-related outcomes and attitudes around S/N in underserved areas of New York City. There was no significant difference between a group receiving intensive outreach and a comparison group on whether they had rehomed a companion animal in the last year. There was a significantly higher level of saturation of S/N in the intensive-outreach area. A significantly higher percentage of those in the intensive-outreach group reported knowing at least 1 way to get help for their companion animals and that the caregiver-defined general well being of nonhuman animals in their neighborhood was better during the previous year. These data suggest that intensive S/N outreach has an impact on the level of saturation of S/N, the perceived efficacy of caregivers to find help if needed, and the perception that animal welfare is being improved.

Although pet population management programs have been established worldwide, few reports on program evaluation have been carried out to date. Accordingly, a 3-year longitudinal study has been carried out in a 4000 household neighborhood located within the metropolitan area of Curitiba, the eighth most populated city of Brazil. Visits were conducted and questionnaires completed to estimate and characterize the local pet population (animal sex, reproductive and vaccination status, street access). Care provided by owners, community perception on stray dog management and the possible changes were compared in these variables over time (2010 and 2013) were evaluated, after the establishment of a city pet population management program. In addition, associations between having children, owning dogs and cats, responsible pet ownership education and owner's perception on stray dogs were statistically tested. A total of 354/4000 (8.9%) household families were interviewed in 2010 and 70/354 (19.8%) of the same families again in 2013. No significant changes were found in overall number of dogs and cats and average pet age, animal care and owner's perception on stray dogs following the 3-year population management program. In 2010, an average of 1.6 dogs and 0.3 cats were found per family, with slightly more females (51.3% dogs and 51.1% cats), adults (4.0±3.5years for dogs and 2.1±2.4 for cats), intact (not neutered; 94.2% dogs and 84.0% cats) and lacking regular visit to veterinarian (71.6%). Although more families (53.1%) had children under 12 years old, no association was found between having children and having dogs and cats. Questionnaires revealed that owners perceived neutering/spaying to be the best pet population control method (42.4%), with "society" (50%) and "government" (49.4%) as responsible for pet population management. A significant positive association has been found between education level and the best way to control stray dogs (p=0.03), between having dogs and in favor of neutering/spaying (p=0.04) and considering neutering/spaying as the best control method (p=0.02). The chances of thinking the best way to control stray dogs by neutering/spaying and adoption were almost 2.0 fold higher than other methods. In conclusion, the present study has provided indicators (education level, having dogs) for pet population control program assessment and effectiveness evaluation. Moreover, this study may serve as a warning on the real long-term effect of such programs, which should be periodically evaluated to identify necessary adjustments and/or improvements., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A rapidly expanding natural-resource extraction industry and a growing military presence mean an increasingly male-skewed population for the city of Darwin, Australia. This has sparked concerns about the potential for increased violence against women. In this article, we present qualitative research detailing the views of 13 participants from 10 women's support services in the Darwin area. We argue that women's support services bear witness to and are tasked with responding to the impacts of population change on women, yet their work is undermined by uncertainties that stem from neoliberal funding rationales and limited demands on companies to address social issues.

Over the last 40 years, researchers have explored methods to non-surgically suppress fertility in animals. Immunocontraception has been used to control wildlife populations but does not confer long-term immunity. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin, formulated as an implant to provide 6-month to 1-year suppression of fertility in male dogs, is available commercially in some countries. Neither of these approaches provide permanent sterility. A single-dose, permanent treatment would be a valuable tool in dog and cat population control. The Michelson Prize and Grants (MPG) programme was initiated "to eliminate shelter euthanasia of healthy, adoptable companion animals and reduce populations of feral and free-roaming cats and dogs" offering a $25 million US prize for a non-surgical sterilant that is effective as a single treatment in both male and female dogs and cats. Michelson Prize and Grants programme has offered US $50 million in grant money for research and has attracted scientists worldwide. Approaches under study include gene therapy, small interfering RNA to inhibit reproductive targets and delivery of cytotoxins to pituitary gonadotrophs or GnRH producing neurons in the hypothalamus. Research in implant technology that could deliver compounds over an animal's lifetime is also underway. Details of funded grants and results to date can be found at: http://www.michelsonprizeandgrants.org/michelson-grants/research-findings. The next steps are translating the most promising research into products. The Alliance for Contraception of Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) is helping to research practical methods of marking sterilized animals to avoid costly retreatment and population modelling that will help guide field workers in use of resources for sterilization programmes., (© 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Objectives: This study aimed to explore determinants of second pregnancy and underlying reasons among pregnant Chinese women., Design: The study was a population-based cross-sectional survey., Setting: 16 hospitals in 5 provinces of Mainland China were included., Participants: A total of 2345 pregnant women aged 18 years or above were surveyed face to face by investigators between June and August 2015., Main Outcome Measures: The pregnancy statuses (first or second pregnancy) and reasons for entering second pregnancy., Results: A total of 1755 (74.8%) and 590 (25.2%) women in their respective first and second pregnancies were enrolled in this study. The most common self-reported reasons for entering second pregnancy among participants included the benefits to the first child (26.1%), love of children (25.8%), adoption of the 2-child policy (11.5%), concerns about losing the first child (7.5%) and suggestions from parents (7.5%). Pregnant women with low (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.96; 95% CI 1.62 to 2.36) and moderate education level (PR 1.97; 95% CI 1.65 to 2.36) were more likely to have a second pregnancy than their higher educated counterparts. Income was inversely associated with second pregnancy. However, unemployed participants (PR 0.79; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.95) were less likely to enter a second pregnancy than those employed. Women with moderate education were 3 times more likely to have a second child following the '2-child policy' than the low education level subgroup., Conclusions: 1 in every 4 pregnant women is undergoing a second pregnancy. The benefits of the firstborn or the love of children were the key drivers of a second pregnancy. Low socioeconomic status was positively associated with a second pregnancy as well. The new 2-child policy will have an influence on China's demographics., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Adaptive limiter control (ALC) and adaptive threshold harvesting (ATH) are two related control methods that have been shown to stabilize fluctuating populations. Large variations in population abundance can threaten the constancy and the persistence stability of ecological populations, which may impede the success and efficiency of managing natural resources. Here, we consider population models that include biological mechanisms characteristic for causing extinctions on the one hand and pest outbreaks on the other hand. These models include Allee effects and the impact of natural enemies (as is typical of forest defoliating insects). We study the impacts of noise and different levels of biological parameters in three extinction and two outbreak scenarios. Our results show that ALC and ATH have an effect on extinction and outbreak risks only for sufficiently large control intensities. Moreover, there is a clear disparity between the two control methods: in the extinction scenarios, ALC can be effective and ATH can be counterproductive, whereas in the outbreak scenarios the situation is reversed, with ATH being effective and ALC being potentially counterproductive., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This article compares results from a study in 2014 with a similar study from 1998 (Fielding, 1999 ) to examine changes in the care of dogs in New Providence, The Bahamas. The results from a survey of 379 residents indicated a general lack of improvement in matters associated with the care of dogs during the past 16 years. For example, in 1998, it was estimated that 35% of caregivers had at least 1 dog sterilized, and in 2014, the corresponding figure was 37%. In 1998, 14% of households with dogs allowed their dogs to roam compared with 41.7% in 2014. These observations do not indicate inactivity on behalf of nonhuman animal welfare groups or archaic animal welfare legislation, as free spay/neuter campaigns have occurred and stricter laws have been passed since 1998. Rather, it is conjectured that these findings may reflect not only insufficiently sustained and coordinated initiatives in education, access to welfare interventions, and law enforcement, but also as-yet-unknown inadequacies in the approaches used in this cultural setting.

Background: Overexploitation and persecution of large carnivores resulting from conflict with humans comprise major causes of declines worldwide. Although little is known about the interplay between these mortality types, hunting of predators remains a common management strategy aimed at reducing predator-human conflict. Emerging theory and data, however, caution that such policy can alter the age structure of populations, triggering increased conflict in which conflict-prone juveniles are involved., Results: Using a 30-year dataset on human-caused cougar (Puma concolor) kills in British Columbia (BC), Canada, we examined relationships between hunter-caused and conflict-associated mortality. Individuals that were killed via conflict with humans were younger than hunted cougars. Accounting for human density and habitat productivity, human hunting pressure during or before the year of conflict comprised the most important variables. Both were associated with increased male cougar-human conflict. Moreover, in each of five regions assessed, conflict was higher with increased human hunting pressure for at least one cougar sex., Conclusion: Although only providing correlative evidence, such patterns over large geographic and temporal scales suggest that alternative approaches to conflict mitigation might yield more effective outcomes for humans as well as cougar populations and the individuals within populations.

To find management strategies for controlling the owned cat population in Knox County, TN, the authors formulated a mathematical model using biological properties of such nonhuman animals and spay actions on certain age classes. They constructed this discrete-time model to predict the future owned cat population in this county and to evaluate intervention strategies to surgically sterilize some proportion of the population. Using the predicted population size and the number of surgeries for specific scenarios, they showed that focusing on specific age classes can be an effective feature in spay programs.