Human Attiudes to Weasels in Their Native Environments
The traditional view of weasels as ruthless predators capable of holding down the numbers of pest rodents tends to underestimate the rate at which pest populations can replace the individuals killed. In fact, weasels can exterminate rodents only in a small area where they have no prey choice and no escape. Contrariwise, shooting of game birds is a widespread sport in North America, Britain, and Europe, and concern to maximize the productivity of game bird nesting seasons often includes control of nest predators, including stoats and weasels. By protecting nesting game- and song-birds from temporary damage by weasels, game estates in the UK also play a valuable conservation role which benefits many other species that would otherwise get no protection at all from their main enemy, chemical-based agriculture. Weasels are abundant and resilient, so are seldom included in any conservation legislation, but they do need protection from cruel traps and secondary poisoning.
Keywords: biological control, introductions, pest control, game shooting, predator control, traps, secondary poisoning, Mustela
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