New Jersey Wild Animal Population On The Rise, PCOs Report

Despite the belief that urban and suburban ‘sprawl’ is having a deleterious affect on animal populations throughout New Jersey, PCOs from the Garden State are continuing to receive calls regarding all manner of wildlife and it would appear that their populations are increasing, according to Len Douglen, executive director of the New Jersey Pest Management Association.

“For a state with a population of 8.5 million people, more densely populated per square mile than either India or China, the even more amazing fact is that New Jersey is also home to large populations of wild animals” There are an estimated 3,200 bears in the northwestern quadrant of the state, but that is small compared to the estimated 90,000 Canada geese that call New Jersey Home.”

“The deer population of New Jersey continues to grow despite efforts to cull the herd through hunting and other means such as birth control vaccines.” High densities of deer population, notes Douglen, pose serious problems ranging from deer-vehicle collisions that have resulted in death and injuries to drivers, as well as extensive ecological damage to native species of woodland flora, gardens, and agricultural crops. “Pest management professionals are most concerned about the transmission of Lyme disease which passes from infected deer to small creatures that, in turn, can transmit it to humans.”

The League of Municipalities estimates that the state’s deer population costs citizens and farmers more than $50 million annually in terms of crop deprivation, auto accidents, and other health risks.

The increasing population of Canada geese recently led to new rules being issued by the U.S. Wildlife Service, acknowledging that the Atlantic Flyway, of which New Jersey is a part, has seen an average two percent per year annual increase for the past four years. Rules permitting the killing of geese without permits and destruction of eggs were issued in August. “Geese droppings are a natural breeding site for insects of all descriptions,” said Douglen.

In 2006, New Jersey has even seen an increase in the number of rabbits in its suburbs and wildlife areas. A combination of a mild winter and a rainy spring has generated ample food and, with an average of five bunnies in each litter and a gestation period of just 25 to 31 days, the rabbit population is in full bloom. Gardeners have been advised to use fences to keep them from predating tulips, carrots, peas, and lettuce plants, something farmers routinely do.

New Jersey, as have many eastern states, is now home to a growing coyote population that has been making its way from the west for many years. From 1992 to 1996, there were 406 coyote sightings and mortalities, but by 2001, the number had risen to 569. In the five years since, the number hit 1,303 in June.

“The good news about coyotes,” said Douglen, “is that they are natural predators of mice, rats, and gophers. This is estimated to be some eighty percent of their diet. The bad news is that they will also eat small dogs and cats if left untended in back yards.”

Homeowners and other properties will soon begin to see rodents seek harborage, says Douglen. “In the fall, when the weather turns colder, rodents head indoors with the rest of the human population and pest management professionals will begin to receive many more calls to trap and kill these common home invaders.”

Rodents provide year-round work for pest management professionals. In August, the nation’s authority on rodents, Dr. Robert Corrigan, gave a heavily attended seminar for an estimated 600 members of the Association at its 59th annual Clinic, a day-long series of seminars on various pest problems. He predicted that the rodent population is going to increase in the decade ahead because of its ability to adapt to urban and suburban environments.

“Our members will be trapping squirrels, raccoons and opossums as well,” said Douglen. “Pest management is the front line of defense against the disease threats and property damage for which feral animals are famous. And that doesn’t even begin to compare with the damage wood-destroying insects such as termites and carpenter ants inflict.

“Despite all the claims made regarding threats to wild animals in New Jersey the evidence suggests they are thriving.”