Wildlife conflict is a major issue across Canada and around the world. As humans continue to alter landscapes, break down connectivity of ecosystems and attempt to control environments without consideration for the complex relationships between predators, prey, and other organisms, it seems that this conflict is increasing. Increasing alongside this is the need for research into how to prevent and mitigate conflict. A recent literature review, supplemented with original research findings by the author, highlights some of the major flaws in how humans have been managing predator conflict.

Robert James Lennox, a PhD candidate at Carleton University, and his coauthors conducted a review into existing studies on predator removal. Their results were published in a study titled ‘Evaluating the efficacy of predator removal in a conflict-prone world’ in the August 2018 edition of the journal Biological Conservation.

Robert found, in paraphrased words of his abstract, that predator removal only showed efficacy in the short-term, and tended to be an ineffective and costly approach to conflict prevention and resolution. The results of his review also showed that co-existence methods were more successful.

While on a research trip in French Polynesia, Robert found time to join Defender Radio to discuss his motivations for the paper, the difficulties in defining success and failure, and why more research into predator management and co-existence matters.

Special thanks to Dr. Michelle Booze for technical scientific assistance on this episode!

Read the study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325857871_Evaluating_the_efficacy_of_predator_removal_in_a_conflict-prone_world

Join the Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

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Wildlife conflict is a major issue across Canada and around the world. As humans continue to alter landscapes, break down connectivity of ecosystems and attempt to control environments without consideration for the complex relationships between predators, prey, and other organisms, it seems that this conflict is increasing. Increasing alongside this is the need for research into how to prevent and mitigate conflict. A recent literature review, supplemented with original research findings by the author, highlights some of the major flaws in how humans have been managing predator conflict.

Robert James Lennox, a PhD candidate at Carleton University, and his coauthors conducted a review into existing studies on predator removal. Their results were published in a study titled ‘Evaluating the efficacy of predator removal in a conflict-prone world’ in the August 2018 edition of the journal Biological Conservation.

Robert found, in paraphrased words of his abstract, that predator removal only showed efficacy in the short-term, and tended to be an ineffective and costly approach to conflict prevention and resolution. The results of his review also showed that co-existence methods were more successful.

While on a research trip in French Polynesia, Robert found time to join Defender Radio to discuss his motivations for the paper, the difficulties in defining success and failure, and why more research into predator management and co-existence matters.

Read the study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325857871_Evaluating_the_efficacy_of_predator_removal_in_a_conflict-prone_world

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio eMails: www.TheFurBearers.com/updates

It’s my birthday! Well, it’s my birthday week. And since everyone has to do what I say for the rest of the week, we’re going to take a step away from the usual topics we cover on Defender Radio. Don’t worry – I have an awesome interview with Robert Lennox, whose work on a predator removal study is discussed all the way from his current location in French Polynesia. But that’s next week, because this week it’s my birthday!

As some of you may know I’m a bit of a geek. I love playing video games, table top games, and role-playing games. I also enjoy comedy audio dramas, like old fashioned radio plays, and improv. I’m very fortunate that two of my very favourite people in the world, Sean Howard and Eli McIlveen have created a fantasy comedy podcast I love: Alba Salix Royal Physician. And when they said they wanted to do a Dungeons and Dragons-type game in that universe, using improv and incredible friends and performers Marisa King and Carter Siddall, which would then be published as a podcast, I jumped at the chance. Literally. Sean may still have a bruise.

The End of Time and Other Bothers was born and episode six released just last week. On the weekend, I sat down with Sean, Eli, Marisa, and Carter and we talked about the game, how a decision to be empathetic to animals and others in our world transformed the story, and why we end up laughing and laughing every time we play together. As an added bonus, the next two episodes in your Defender Radio podcast feed are the first two episodes of The End of Times and Other Bothers! I’ll tell you more about how to listen to that show after our interview.

If you want to listen to the first two episodes of The End of Time and Other Bothers just click ‘next’ in your podcast feed! You can also visit otherbothers.com to learn more about episodes, the cast, and how you can get access to behind the scenes footage, outtakes, and more.

Listen to The End of Time and Other Bothers on iTunes here!