For example, hunting and birdwatching are important as both recreational and income-generating activities. For example, mammals and birds can damage crops and forestry resources, deplete aquaculture stock, destroy livestock, and despoil property. Wildlife damage to U.S. agriculture alone (including crops and livestock) has been estimated at between $600 million and $1.6 billion annually, with over half of all farmers and ranchers experiencing some type of wildlife-related damage each year. Program Operations and Research Activities Benefit Resources and People

Working with state and local agencies, associations, and individuals, Wildlife Services conducts many wildlife control activities. However, we found no independent studies that rigorously assessed the costs and benefits of the Wildlife Services program; the only studies that we found were conducted by or in collaboration with Wildlife Services scientists and researchers. Wildlife Services’ EIS, prepared by the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, addressed its ongoing program of wildlife damage management. In light of the controversy surrounding lethal controls, Wildlife Services devotes most of its research efforts toward this end. Considerable opportunity exists for developing more effective nonlethal means of controlling predators on farms and ranches—for example, through wildlife contraceptives or through the use of scare devices triggered by motion sensors. Specifically, we agreed to determine (1) the nature and severity of threats posed by wildlife, (2) the actions the program has taken to reduce such threats, (3) the studies Wildlife Services and others have done to assess the specific costs and benefits of program activities, and (4) the opportunities that exist for developing effective nonlethal methods of predator control on farms and ranches. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife Services’ total fiscal year 2000 expenditures were $80.6 million. The examples do not include the risk to human health and safety posed by birds at airports.
What GAO Found

Birdwatching, hunting, and wildlife photography provide important recreational, aesthetic, and income-generating benefits to the American public. In addition, wildlife help maintain ecosystems, and the mere knowledge that wildlife exist is viewed as beneficial by many people. At the same time, however, some wildlife destroy crops, kill livestock, damage property, and pose risks to public health and safety. Further, as the U.S. population has grown and impinged upon wildlife habitats, conflicts between wildlife and humans and their property have become increasingly common. Wildlife Services, a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is tasked with controlling damage by wildlife. Mammals and birds damage crops, forestry seedlings, and aquaculture products each year, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. In fiscal year 2000, predators killed half a million livestock--mostly lambs and calves--valued at $70 million. To reduce such threats, Wildlife Services conducts operational and research activities with federal, state, and local agencies; agricultural producers and ranchers; private homeowners; and others. In carrying out these activities, Wildlife Services applies the most appropriate methods, whether lethal or nonlethal, of prevention and control. Considerable opportunity exists for developing effective nonlethal means of controlling damage by wildlife on farms and ranches--for example, through wildlife contraceptives or through the use of scare devices triggered by motion sensors. In view of the growing controversy surrounding the use of lethal controls, Wildlife Services scientists are focusing most of their research on developing improved nonlethal control techniques. GAO identified no independent assessments of the costs and benefits associated with Wildlife Services' program.