Use of Livestock Protection Collars to Protect Sheep and Goats

The sodium monofluoroacetate (Compound 1080) Livestock Protection Collar is selective for individual predators attacking the throat of sheep or goats and is especially useful in talcing coyotes (Canis latrans). However, fears of secondary and nontarget poisonings have resulted in restrictions on their use. They are registered for use in the United States only to kill coyotes. To satisfy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements, the Texas Department of Agriculture provides training and testing for certifying collar applicators, and has monitored collar use from 1988 through 1990. During this period, 59 licensed applicators, 6 collar pools, and the Texas Animal Damage Control Service obtained collars. Information on effectiveness in taking coyotes and the fate of collars was collected through applicator reporting, inspections, surveys, and discussions with applicators. Sixty-two applicators used collars during the 3-year period for a total of 89,649 collar use-days. The number of coyotes killed by collars has been conservatively estimated to be 92. The only reported incident of suspected nontarget poisoning involved a lamb wearing a collar that was ruptured by an undetermined cause. Also described in the paper are targeting strategies, organization of collar pools, steps taken to reduce controversy, and the suitability of collars for combatting coyote predation on farm flocks in the eastern United States