Damage Control on the Farm

Damage Control on the Farm
Wildlife experts suggest ways to deal with unwelcome visitors. Transcript of radio broadcast:
28 April 2008

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

The United States Department of Agriculture has a program called Wildlife Services. Its job is to help protect agricultural and other resources from threats and damage by wildlife. Often that means helping farmers deal with unwelcome visitors.

One example from Wildlife Services of its work involved a farmer in Washington state, in the Pacific Northwest. Several years ago, thousands of Canada geese landed on his fields. The geese began to eat his carrot crop.

Biologists from the program suggested that the farmer use noise-making devices and other measures to scare the large birds away. These efforts apparently succeeded.

Wildlife Services also has a livestock protection program. The agency kills foxes, badgers and other predators. Critics, however, say too many animals are killed that do not threaten livestock.

The Wildlife Services program is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS. APHIS offers some suggestions of ways to keep away predators.

For example, try to keep food and water safe from wildlife. Fences may help keep out coyotes, especially if the fences are at least two meters high. For best results, the bottom of the fence should extend about fifteen centimeters into the ground.

Provide secure shelter for poultry, rabbits and other animals that could be attacked.

The experts also suggest using lights above places where animals are kept. And they advise people who see coyotes around their property to chase them away by shouting, making loud noises or throwing rocks.

For home gardeners, a two-meter fence might help keep out deer. To keep out rabbits, a wire fence has to be only about a half-meter high. It should extend fifteen centimeters underground to keep rabbits from digging under it.

If snakes are a problem, remove dead trees and cut high grass to deny them places to hide.

And to protect livestock, consider using guard animals such as dogs, donkeys, llamas and even ostriches. The huge, flightless birds can get very protective of their territory.

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com. To send us e-mail, write to special@voanews.com.

----------------------------Google Translate


损害控制该农场
野生动物专家建议，如何处理不受欢迎的客人。全文电台广播：
2008年4月28日

这是美国之音特别英语农业的报告。

美国农业部门有计划的所谓野生动物服务。它的工作是为了帮助保护农业资源和其他资源免受威胁和破坏野生动物。往往即帮助农民处理不受欢迎的客人。

其中一个例子，从野生动物服务，其工作涉及的一个农民在华盛顿州，在太平洋西北地区。几年前，数以千计的加拿大鹅，降落在他的领域。该鹅开始吃他的胡萝卜作物。

生物学家从该计划中建议农民使用噪音决策的设备和其他措施，以恐吓大型鸟类进入。这些努力显然是成功的。

野生动物服务也有牲畜的保护计划。该机构杀死狐狸，獾和其他猎食者。批评，不过，说了太多的动物死亡不构成威胁的牲畜。

野生动物服务计划的一部分，该动物和植物健康检查服务，或蚜虫。蚜虫提供了一些建议的方式，远离天敌。

举例来说，尽可能保持食物和饮水安全，从野生动物。篱笆墙可能有助于防止coyotes ，特别是如果围栏，目前至少有两公尺高。为获得最佳效果，底部的围栏应延长约一五厘米进入地面。

提供安全的庇护所的家禽，兔和其他动物就可能受到攻击。

专家们还建议使用灯光以上的地方，动物保存。和他们提供意见的人，见coyotes左右，他们的财产追逐他们远离由高喊，使噪音或投掷石块。

回国的园艺师们来说，两米的围栏，或许有助于保持了鹿。防止家兔，铁丝网已被大约只有半公尺高。它应扩大一五厘米地下，以保持兔挖下。

如果蛇是一个问题，消除死亡的树木和削减高草，以剥夺他们的地方藏身之地。

和保护牲畜，可以考虑使用卫队动物如狗，驴，马驼，甚至鸵鸟。庞大的，飞的鸟可以得到非常注重保护他们的领土。

这是该美国之音特别英语农业的报告，书面，由jerilyn沃森。誊本， MP3和播客我们的报告，去voaspecialenglish.com 。向我们发送电子邮件，写信给special@voanews.com