Mammals as Pests

The aim of this book is to re-evaluate the true pest status of many common species traditionally regarded as pests. It is based on a revised selection of papers presented at a symposium organized by the Mammal Society in London, November 1987. Many of the pests described are introduced, non-native species, which in the absence of natural predators have multiplied in numbers to become pests. In other cases, it is man's creation of an artificial concentrated environment, such as a single-crop agricultural field, a grain store or a timber plantation, that has generated the conditons for large population increases of pest species. Data are presented from a number of British and European studies on various mammalian pests, including deer, badgers, squirrels, rabbits and others. Some pests are shown to cause direct damage, for example by eating man's food products, while others cause indirect damage, by allowing secondary infections into plants or by being vectors for disease. Strategies of pest management are also considered.