Researchers across Europe are resorting to an unconventional method to manage invasive and pest populations and minimize their environmental and economic impact.
University of York's Giovanna Massei told The Guardian that oral contraceptives are a "creative solution" to a problem that has spiraled out of control.
"We are running out of options," she said. "Traditional methods such as culling are ineffective, can be inhumane, unsustainable, environmentally harmful, and are increasingly opposed by the public."
Other tactics, such as rodenticides and glue traps, can cause prolonged suffering. The chemicals from the former can also kill predators that prey on the poisoned animals.
"We don't have many alternatives to lethal control. That's where fertility control really could be a great opportunity to manage these things," Steve Belmain, a professor of ecology at the University of Greenwich, said.
Contraceptives for invasive and pest species can limit the spread of diseases, reduce financial burdens, and protect native flora and fauna.
Scientists have already developed weighted feeders containing oral contraceptives hidden within a hazelnut spread that only gray squirrels can open, and early feedback has delivered promising results.
The rodent came to the United Kingdom from the United States during the 1800s and is responsible for the local extinction of native red squirrels. It has decimated forests across the U.K. through bark stripping, costing England and Wales approximately £37 million (nearly $46 million) annually in lost timber value, reduced carbon sequestering, damage control, and tree replacements.
Meanwhile, the University of York has collaborated with several Italian institutions to build a feeder that only a wild boar can open with its snout. The device is functional, but they have yet to create a contraceptive.
Wild boars are native to Europe, but their ballooning population has exacerbated the crop and property damage they cause. In the U.S., where feral pigs are invasive, environmentalists have turned to trapping and cooking to combat this issue.
Hunters in both France and Germany shoot over 500,000 a year, but that has done little to keep the population in check. Culling is "clearly not controlling a number of these animals," Massei said.
Avian species such as pigeons could also become recipients of birth control methods. Veterinary consultant Dr. Marco Pellizzari told The Guardian that it's "very easy" to get pigeons to eat corn grains with contraceptives.
Officials are considering using contraceptives for a wide range of wildlife that are nuisances, including deer and parakeets, but more research is needed to study how the residual effects of the chemicals might disrupt the food chain.
"We need to really understand these things as part of that regulatory process," Belmain said.
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