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Sheep, Goat Producers Lost $20 Million to Predators in 1999

© Rena Larranaga

Despite spending $10 million to protect their animals, U.S. sheep and goat producers lost $20 million to predators in 1999. Losses of sheep and lambs totaled $16.5 million and goats $3.4 million, according to a May report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Sheep and lamb losses from animal predators totaled 273,000 head. This represented 36.7 percent of the total losses from all causes. Coyotes caused the majority of sheep and lamb losses to predators. They accounted for 60.7 percent of the total.

U.S. Losses of Sheep and Lambs from Predators, 1999

Predator	Number of head lost	% of total predators	Total value ($1,000)
Coyotes	165,800	60.7	9,637
Dogs	41,300	15.1	2,982
Mountain lions, cougars, pumas	15,600	5.7	998
Bears	7,800	2.9	555
Foxes	8,100	3.0	400
Eagles	10,700	3.9	522
Bobcats	12,700	4.7	650
All other animals	11,000	4.0	758
U.S.	273,000	100.0	16,502

Other predators include ravens, vultures, wolves, pigs, and other animals.

Coyotes were also the largest predator of goats in the three major states (AZ, NM, and TX) accounting for 35.6 percent of predator death losses.

Losses of All Goats (Angora and Other), 3-State Total, 1999

Predator	Number of head lost	Total value ($1,000)
Coyotes	21,700
Dogs	10,700
Mountain lions, cougars, pumas	800
Foxes	3,800
Eagles	5,300
Bobcats	11,700
All other animals	7,000
3-State total (AZ, NM, and TX)	61,000	3,355

Other predators include bears, wolves, ravens, vultures, and other animals.

Sheep and goat producers used a variety of non-lethal methods to protect their flocks, including fences, guard dogs, llamas, donkeys, lamb sheds, herding, night penning, and fright tactics.

"NASS' annual report has proven once again what a serious issue predators are for the sheep and goat industries," said Tom McDonnell, director of natural resources for the American Sheep Industry Association. "The report also further validates the need for Wildlife Services."

Wildlife Services (WS) is a federal investment program that helps bring together cooperative funding for the protection of natural agricultural and industrial resources with emphasis on human health and safety. WS develops and uses effective and flexible predator control methods that are biologically, environmentally, and socially sound. Emerging technologies and knowledge of wildlife behavior are used to develop new strategies for resolving wildlife damage problems.

Related Links

• Full text of the U.S. Sheep and Lamb Predator Loss Report, released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

• USDA's Wildlife Services Division

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