Newsletter
Winter 2020
BIWFC New Year Greeting
Happy New Year from the staff of
The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC)! 

Since our inception in 2016, the BIWFC continues to expand its outreach to promote human-wildlife coexistence by advancing knowledge about wildlife fertility control. We are excited to begin a new year of activities. During 2020, the BIWFC will release the first ever educational overview video about fertility control for wildlife. Additionally, we will organize and sponsor presentations at the Pathways International Conference in Kenya and at the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence in the United Kingdom. We continue to organize events throughout the year that foster discussion, information sharing, networking and collaboration. Our comprehensive website, wildlifefertilitycontrol.org , has grown substantially to include presentations from our events, our webinars, and videos that we produce. It is the only resource of its kind devoted exclusively to the field of wildlife fertility control.

Planning for the 9 th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control is well underway. The conference will be held May 23-26, 2021 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This conference is a continuation of the international forum on the use of fertility control methods to address human-wildlife conflicts. This conference brings wildlife professionals from a range of disciplines together to share the latest information on research, tools and applications, issues and challenges, and promote dialogue among a diverse audience. Please continue to check our conference webpage for information on the call for papers and registration information. We hope you mark your calendars now to attend.

Each year, millions of wild animals are killed globally in order to address real or perceived conflicts between humans and wildlife, but peoples’ attitudes towards wildlife are shifting. There’s diminishing public support for killing animals and growing support for the use of effective non-lethal methods to resolve conflicts and coexist with wildlife. In the year ahead, the goal of the BIWFC is to continue to work and collaborate with our colleagues in the field of human-wildlife conflict and coexistence to promote and advance the use of effective, humane and sustainable approaches to addressing human-wildlife conflicts and the role that fertility control may play in comprehensive wildlife management programs.

Interview with Audrey Delsink, Wildlife Director Humane Society International-Africa
We recently asked Audrey Delsink, Wildlife Director of Humane Society International-Africa, to discuss her work with African Elephants as well as the use of fertility control in managing human-elephant conflicts.
How did you become involved in the field of wildlife fertility control?
I was studying elephants at a private game reserve and management was approached to sell young elephants to zoos abroad to reduce the carrying capacity. Thankfully, our management knew that this was not the right thing to do and we started to look for humane alternatives. Shortly thereafter, I attended a conference in Kruger National Park where the scientists were just completing the field trials of PZP immunocontraception. I introduced myself, my work and my studies of the reserve's elephants to the then Head Vet managing the program. The rest is history!
Describe some of the most common conflicts between humans and African elephants, where they tend to occur and why.
African elephants are threatened by habitat degradation and destruction, and burgeoning human populations. As a result, elephants are being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas by the growing human population and human activities. In South Africa, elephants are confined by fences to protected areas or reserves, and thus exist in fragmented populations across their former ranges. With immigration no longer possible (due to fences) and with an almost zero natural mortality rate, elephants are capable of breeding at very high rates largely due to irruptive growth (a rapid density independent period of growth particularly in newly established reserves). This can exceed the capacity of the land on which they live and increase pressure, particularly amongst bulls. This can lead to breaching of perimeter fences in search of more palatable and nutritious human crops or water resources outside of protected areas, which causes damage to resources and livelihoods.
What role can fertility control play in resolving conflicts between humans and elephants in South Africa?
Fertility control is a long-term, proactive management tool that reduces or stabilizes population growth. It reduces elephant population densities at a local scale, thereby decreasing the pressure on available resources and possible competition between individuals. This can help to reduce human elephant conflict by mitigating density dependent breakouts and sustaining the carrying capacity for the long-term. 

- - READ MORE--
9th International Conference on
Wildlife Fertility Control
Webinar Library
Our most recent webinar titled " Wild Equid Management: The Role of Fertility Control, " presented by Celeste Carlisle, is now available in our Webinar Library . Here, you can also also view all past webinars, including the " State of the Field: Wildlife Fertility Control to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflicts " and " Life in the Big Smoke: Peri-urban Kangaroo Management Using Fertility Control ."
BIWFC Video Series
The BIWFC has produced several short videos now available on our website .
They include: Urban Prairie Dogs: A Fertility Control Project featuring Dan Salkeld, a Colorado State University Research Scientist and BIWFC grantee; The Platero Project: A Model for Helping Wild Burros, featuring Grace Kahler, Field Manager for The Humane Society of the United States; and Immunocontraception in African Elephants featuring Henk Bertschinger, Emeritus Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Fertility Control Fact Sheets
Downloadable fact sheets are now accessible on the BIWFC website.
Find information on frequently asked questions regarding fertility control, GonaCon, Native PZP, and immunocontraception in wild horses here .
Support for Public Policy & Educational Projects
The BIWFC seeks public policy research projects that advance the knowledge, acceptance and implementation of wildlife fertility control as a method of human-wildlife conflict mitigation. The BIWFC goal is to support projects that will help the public and policy makers understand and evaluate existing policies on wildlife fertility control. Potential projects include: seminars, documentaries, and human dimension studies. More information can be found online .
IMPORTANT DATES
Pathways Africa, February 16-19, 2020
The BIWFC will sponsor a symposium titled " 25 Years: Using Elephant Immunocontraception to Control Population Growth " at Pathways Africa 2020: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference and Training  in Limuru, Kenya. The symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19 at 10am and will include presentations on the history of immunocontraceptive use in elephants, field applications in South Africa and Asia, novel concepts, and a field manager's perspective.
International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence, April 1-3, 2020
The BIWFC will attend and present at the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence h eld in Oxford, UK. Stephanie Boyles Griffin, Science and Policy Director, and Giovanna Massei, BIWFC Advisory Board Member, will present on " The Other Side of Human-Wildlife Conflicts: A Global Perspective on Fertility Control to Manage Overabundant Wildlfe ."
IN THE NEWS
"The Path Forward"
In an attempt to find a middle ground among animal advocates, conservationists, ranchers, the Bureau of Land Management, and others, "The Path Forward of BLM's
Wild Horses and Burros" was created. This plan attempts to protect the ecosystem and the horses by using a combination of round-ups and fertility control. In a recent article The Christian Science Monito r explores the Path Forward and the different viewpoints of the plan.
Black Bear Population Control
in Florida
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released their updated Black Bear population management plan for discussion in early December. The Commission is "not making any direct recommendation about controversial bear hunts." According to WGCU Public Media , the plan includes potential methods that could be increased or implemented, including fertility control and decreasing negative bear-human interactions.
Oak Bay Deer Program Community Involvement
According to the lead wildlife veterinarian of the Oak Bay Deer Project, this project " is a feel-good option where not many people are opposed to what we’re doing. " Times Colonists reported that over 150 residents registered their properties to allow access as the volunteers worked. The project has thousands of volunteer hours logged. It also has allowed local college students to learn about animal handling.
Click here to view more articles
STAFF
Stephanie Boyles Griffin - Science and Policy Director
Monique Principi - Managing Director
Rachel Soroka - Program Assistant
Rosalie Lombardo - Communications Officer
Elizabeth Leitzell - Digital Media Specialist
Carolyn Rauch - Senior Meeting Specialist
For more information, please visit our website