Fight escalates in West over predator controls

Around the West and in various ways, efforts to wage war on wildlife predators are increasing.

Some examples: ranchers and environmentalists are fighting over a proposal to have the Environmental Protection Agency ban the use of two poisons that kill coyotes.

A successful wolf-reintroduction program means wolves are likely to be taken off the endangered species list soon, and critics of removal say this would leave them vulnerable to indiscriminate shooting, particularly in Idaho and Wyoming.

And in Oregon, hunters soon may be deputized to kill cougars, whose population has grown from several hundred in the 1960s to about 5,000 since the use of radio-collared dogs to hunt them was banned in 1994.

While there is no direct connection, collectively these issues reflect the tension between rural Westerners involved in ranching, farming and logging and those in growing urban and recreational areas where people are more likely to have a friendlier attitude toward wildlife. In all cases, wild species' need for adequate habitat is competing against human interests.

Tuesday was to have been the deadline for public comment on a proposal before the EPA to outlaw the use of sodium cyanide and sodium fluoroacetate to kill wild animals that prey on sheep and cattle. But at the request of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the deadline was extended to March 5.

Sodium fluoroacetate typically is used in "livestock protection collars" strapped onto the heads of grazing animals. When the predator, usually a coyote, tries to bite the stock animal, it gets a mouthful of poison instead. Sodium cyanide is used in a device known as the "M-44 ejector" baited on the ground to attract coyotes, foxes or wild dogs preying on livestock or poultry.

Earlier this month, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, introduced legislation outlawing the production and use of the two poisons, which the EPA classifies as having "acute toxicity." DeFazio said the two chemicals have killed growing numbers of dogs and other pets as well as "non-target" wild animals, including some endangered species.

But in a recent letter opposing the bill, Rep. John Salazar, D-

Colorado, wrote, "As a livestock producer from the rural area, I know these two predator control tools are absolutely essential in combating aggressive predation."

Not all ranchers agree.