A Questionnaire Survey of Wild Life and Their Damage Problems in the Public Pastures for Raising Cattle in Japan

Abstract

In April 2008, questionnaires to investigate wildlife animals and their damage were sent to 687 public pastures throughout Japan. The proportion of the public pastures, answered to observe each mammalian species, were in the following orders ; red foxes, Japanese hares and mountain hares, raccoon dogs, sika deer, etc. Sika deers were the most frequently identified in northern island and the major problems caused by them were “damage to grown forage grasses for cattle” and “destroying fences in the pasture”. Damage problems by other wild animals observed were “wrapped silage punctured or torn” and “concentrate feed stolen” by crows “facilities intruded and broken” and “fears of disease transmissions” by red foxes, raccoon dogs and bears. This study was the first nation-wide survey on damage problems by wild animals at public pastures in Japan.