Hollister
– The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday
whether to re-establish the Wildlife Services program after a
two-year absence.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday whether to re-establish the Wildlife Services program after a two-year absence.
If funded, a full-time wildlife specialist would be hired to address the interaction of wildlife with use of rural and urban lands in San Benito County. The specialist would work to help in the control of local populations of wild pigs, coyotes, mountain lions, and even deal with calls of wild animals in urban areas, San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich said.
A federal wildlife biologist would fill the position as part of a larger United States Department of Agriculture program, Matulich said.
Proponents of the program argue that it will not only prevent loss of local livestock and other agricultural products, but also help better protect public health and safety.
September’s E. coli outbreak was traced to spinach processed at San Juan Bautista-based Natural Selections and later to cow and pig feces on a ranch near Paicines. State and federal scientists said feral pigs may have been how the potentially deadly bacteria found its way into the fresh produce.
Tom Manning, a member of the San Benito County Farm Bureau’s board of directors, said keeping the county’s pig population under control could help prevent future outbreaks.
“There’s a multi-million dollar industry in San Benito County and we’re concerned,” Manning said.
Feral pigs can also cause havoc on local golf courses, Matulich said.
The county has been without a wildlife specialist for two years, after a previous board cut funding for the position.
On Tuesday, Manning will give a presentation about the program at the supervisor’s meeting.
Besides food safety concerns, local ranchers say they have noticed a resurgence of predatory wildlife. Manning, who is also a member of the San Benito County Cattlemen’s Association, said the growth of the coyote population threatens local livestock.
“Personally I lost four calves this year to coyote kills,” Manning said.
It was the first time Manning had seen his calves killed by coyotes, he said.
Urban areas could also benefit from having a wildlife specialist in the county, Matulich said.
Matulich said he received a call recently from a woman who had a skunk living under her house. He said the woman didn’t know what to do.
“Animal control won’t do it because they only take care of domestic animals,” Matulich said.
A specialist could also trap wild animals such as opossums and raccoons.
The program is expected to cost the county’s general fund about $62,000 for the first year, Matulich said.
If approved, Matulich and Manning hope the service becomes eligible for federal funding through a gas tax refund in its second year. The refund could provide 40 percent of the program’s funding, Matulich said.
