Surgical sterilization: an underutilized procedure for evaluating the merits of induced sterility
Paper
13
By: James J. Kennelly and Kathryn A. Converse
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Abstract
Despite more than 4 decades of effort, development of effective wildlife damage control programs based on sterilization of target species has met with limited success. This is partly due to the fact that investigators have assumed, rather than empirically tested, whether the reproductive strategies of the target populations were vulnerable to the planned treatment. Equally important, methods selected to include sterility usually involve a chemical agent that can affect sociosexual behaviors of the nuisance population. In this report, we illustrate how surgically induced sterility circumvents both problems--how the concept without the potentially confounding secondary effects of a chemical. We assessed the merits of initiating research to develop a male chemosterilant for Norway rats, red-winged blackbirds, beaver, and Canada geese by inducing sterility surgically. The infidelity of many red-winged females to their polygynous territorial male was surprising and argued against searching for a male sterilant. On the other hand, beaver and Canada goose studies confirmed previous reports that both form par-bonds and are monogamous. Both should be vulnerable to a male chemosterilant approach, and research toward this goal is justified.
Suggested Citation
Kennelly, J.J., Converse, K.A., 1993, Surgical sterilization: an underutilized procedure for evaluating the merits of induced sterility: Paper 13, 8 p.
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Federal Government Series |
| Title | Surgical sterilization: an underutilized procedure for evaluating the merits of induced sterility |
| Series title | Paper |
| Series number | 13 |
| Year Published | 1993 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| Contributing office(s) | National Wildlife Health Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | Federal Government Series |
| Larger Work Title | USDA National Wildlife Research Center Symposia: Contraception in wildlife management |
| First page | 21 |
| Last page | 28 |