Fish losses due to bird depredation are an ongoing problem on most fish farms. State and federal laws prohibit the taking of most species of birds; therefore, the aquaculturist is left with few choices other than pyrotechnics or bird netting to address this dilemma. Pyrotechnics are inherently dangerous; bird netting, while effective, can only be used to cover small ponds. Furthermore, birds and other animals frequently become entangled in the netting material.
Cabo, our
border collie, was trained by Dr. Nick Carter at Border Collie Rescue to chase
birds. The inherent herding
instinct of this breed, coupled with their intelligence and agility, make them
perfect candidates for such tasks.
The advantages of using
border collies in bird harassment are manifold:
- They
provide a non-lethal means of control.
Unlike other breeds, border collies seek to herd, rather than to
catch, the animals they chase.
- Border
collies truly are working dogs. They
will run to exhaustion. It is
up to the handler to make the dog take a rest.
- Although
birds habituate to the various pyrotechnic and other scaring devices, they
never get used to a wolf-like predator chasing them.
- Border
collies can be good companions, provided that their needs are met.
They are very active and somewhat obsessive-compulsive. If you don’t give the dog something to do, you can
rest assured that he will find something to occupy his time.
They need open space, positive control and a task to perform.
Please visit the Border
Collie Rescue site at www.bcrescue.org for further information.
Dr. Carter and his staff do an excellent job of training and placing
border collies and they need our support.