Never, ever assume that it is necessary to cull or reduce a wildlife population simply because a group of people or a government agency tells you so. Most of these groups either have a vested interest in the outcome they are promoting, are ill informed or understaffed, or all of the above.
Wildlife managed itself for literally billions of years before there were state and federal government agencies — not to mention hunting, trapping, and fishing industries — finding a “need” to use trapping as a “wildlife management tool.”
People have varying degrees of tolerance to wildlife in their midst, and often their concerns can be shown to be exaggerated, or or simply a matter of acclimation. Problems caused by wild animals can be better resolved by changing the conditions that allow them to happen than by killing or removing the animals (and “relocation” is not the kind alternative that many think. For example, two thirds of relocated bears die in the first year at their new home).
If there is a genuine need to move animals, live-trap devices, such as culvert traps or box-traps, can, if properly used and maintained, be used at little risk to either target or non-target species. But even those post risks to the animals being targeted, as well as for non target animals and humans. They are also more expensive than education for humans and aversion training for animals. (For more info click here )
This is an important statement: “Problems caused by wild animals can be better resolved by changing the conditions that allow them to happen than by killing or removing the animals…”
However, there’s a flaw in the argument that “wildlife management is not necessary.” Although it’s true that “wildlife managed itself” before human civilization changed everything; the fact is that human civilization has changed everything. In this new world, wildlife management is necessary.
Hopefully we’ll be able to improve what we now call “wildlife management” so that its subject will become our interactions with wildlife, in a complete system including ourselves, and so that it will be achieved “by changing the conditions that allowed the problems with wildlife to happen,” rather than by just killing the wildlife.