Wildlife Visitation on a Multi-Unit Educational Livestock Facility in Northwestern Georgia

摘要: Wildlife visitation of livestock facilities results in economic losses through feed consumption and a potential for disease transmission fecal contamination feeds associated facilities. In order to assess wildlife among livestock-management teaching units on college campus, we monitored feeding feed-storage areas via direct observations, live-trapping, motion-detecting cameras. We also examined patterns grain-based hay. Nine species visited the during course study. Birds Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) were most frequent visitors less-enclosed facilities, rodents, Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum), Procyon lotor (Raccoon) mostly documented more-enclosed daily throughout year, but visitations by Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, White-tailed Deer occurred only summer months. Marmota monax (Groundhog) present each month except January, February, March. Of 827 samples examined, 16.8% contaminated feces, primarily from birds. Grain-based was consumed or removed more frequently than hay, loss declined winter increased spring summer.