Ranchcers Wildlife Tension
Metadata
- Ranchcers Wildlife Tension
- November 15, 2023
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Ranchers Wildlife Tension HEADLINE: In Agriculture-Dense California, Return of Gray Wolves a Worry TEASER: PUBLISHED AT: 11/14/23 BYLINE: Robin Guess CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Central California VIDEOGRAPHER: Matt Dibble VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: JJ, DLJ VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original VOA, AFP, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, AP, Storyblocks PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: VID APPROVED BY: TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: Questions/Review Jessica Jerreat, jjerreat@voanews.com Robin Guess rguess@voanews.com)) ((INTRO)) Among California’s farmers and ranchers, the recent return of the long-absent gray wolf means a return too of fears of livestock losses. From Tulare County, California, VOA’s Robin Guess reports. ((BROLL VOA File Colburn Cattle: Nat up of cow moos; closeup of cow 9:17 and pan shot of herd cut to BROLL VOA FILE Wolf Broll craig at Quixote Farms goats feeding 3:04 )) ((NARRATOR)) The heart of Tulare County, California is agriculture. Here, hundreds of ranchers and farmers feed the state, the country and the world. State agriculture experts estimate 800,000 head of livestock live in Tulare and many range the Sequoia National Forest. Sharing that space with them: bears, mountain lions, coyotes … and more recently, the six gray wolves of the Tulare County pack. ((For Radio: The new arrivals add to the worries for ranchers like Matt Avila. )) ((Matt Avila, Colburn Cattle Co. general manager (( Male, English)) ((VOA, Matt Avila SOT19:36)) “It is a concern with people in ag and who have livestock they don’t want to have to face anymore challenges and loss to another predator.” [[Eds, direct SOT he says ‘ag’ instead of agriculture]] ((VOA BROLL: FILE Colburn Cattle: shot pans herd with ear tags visible transition to closeup of a cow’s face 5:36 cut to Mountain Lion video USA WildlifeCrossing night video of lions allow to roll over first 4 secs of Matt’s bite 1:50 (Mandatory Credit Reuters) )) ((NARRATOR)) Here at Colburn Cattle Company, the livestock are show cattle and one can cost as much as $200,000. Livestock are a billion-dollar industry here, and losses are never taken lightly. The mountain lion is one of the biggest — and costliest — problems. ((For Radio: Again, Matt Avila.)) ((VOA, Matt Avila SOT )) ((5:09)) ((Matt Avila, Colburn Cattle Co. general manager (( Male, English)) “It was so bad that the lions would pack up and take full cows and calves and the neighbor north of, he just evacuated all of his cattle because the losses were so significant // 5:19 And we did right after him and brought them down here.” ((Video : WD USA Wildlifecrossing video of PS 22 Mountain Lion1:22 (Mandatory Credit Reuters) Cut to slow zoom into California First Wolf photo (Credit CDFW) Cut to VOA B-roll 14:07 Colburn Cattle b-roll of bulls in pen cut to VOA Wolf Broll Craig at Quixote, shot starts on Craig and pan to his goats 3:35)) ((NARRATOR)) While ranchers have tactics to deal with mountain lions, the gray wolf brings new challenges. Scientists say the animals recently returned to California forests, and now number about 50. ((For Radio: Craig Knudson raises goats at Quixote Farms.)) ((VOA Craig Knudsen SOT editor note: the file name is spelled wrong. Knudson is the correct spelling)) ((Craig Knudson, Quixote Farms, Male, English)) (( 12:15 )) “When you all of a sudden you throw this apex predator, a big one, a 200-pound male, it becomes an issue and we are going to have to learn to deal with that.” ((Screen roll this weblink, and zoom in screen: go to Wolf-Livestock Loss Compensation Pilot Program and scroll through: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Grants BROLL return to VOA BROLL livestock Wolf Broll Colburn Cattle 11:25 Matt pulling cow and inspecting it. )) ((NARRATOR)) Anticipating some problems, California set aside $3 million for the next three years to reimburse ranchers and farmers who lose livestock to wolves. ((For Radio: Again, Craig Knudson of Quixote Farms.)) (VOA Craig Knudson SOT) ((Craig Knudson, Quixote Farms, Male, English)) (( 7:20 )) “They are expecting about a million dollars in losses per year over the next few years is what that tell me and that’s a lot of animals, even with animal prices at what they are today, and they are on the high side to say the least.” ((VIDEO Reuters: Thailand Tiger Trade use 00-:15 (Mandatory Credit Reuters) AP Video: Tigers Thailand :30 (Mandatory Credit AP) Cut and transition to HZ Kenya Lions with nat sot full lion with collar roaring :59 for 4 secs dissolve to 00-:35 pride of lions lounging and interacting (Mandatory Credit AP) Cut to KenyaLions_CR 1:09 (Mandatory credits AP) )) ((NARRATOR)) The human-wildlife conflict is a problem seen the world over. From Thailand and India where communities contend with tigers. To Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania where lions are sometimes a threat to livestock and people. The solution is often death for these predators. ((VIDEO CDFW: Tulare Wolf photo full frontal WolfFront.jpg zoom in, then dissolve to side view of same wolf Photo of Tulare Wolf pack member.jpg, then cut to track photo Tulare Pack WolfTracks.jpg (Mandatory Credit Dr. Jason V. Lombardi, Ph.D)), then dissolve to Tulare Pack wolf scat CDFW.jpg ((EDs we need full credit on all images as per CDFW press release: Mandatory credit: Courtesy CDFW Michelle Harris, Samantha Winiecki-Love, Ryan Slezak, Colibri Ecological Consulting)) With that in mind, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is keeping close tabs on the Tulare pack’s six wolves — and says it watches and learns from international experiences. ((For Radio: This is Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.)) ((ZOOM: Chuck Bonham, Director of California Department of Fish and Wildlife Bonham SOT)) ((Mandatory: Zoom)) ((Chuck Bonham, California Department of Fish and Wildlife director, male, English)) (( 24:04 )) “We will have individuals who take things into their own hands that worries me. It is not going to work out well for the individual who decides to do that and the loss of a wolf at this moment in time really could set us back.” ((Narrator)) ((VIDEO storyblocks: large-male-grey-wolf looking for prey Cut to VIDEO storyblocks: wolves in a large wolf pack walking in forests)) State law and the federal Endangered Species Act protect California’s Gray wolves. But wildlife experts say that wolves, and the space they share with people, will both be better protected if and when, biologists can catch and put tracking collars on them. ((Robin Guess, in Tulare County, VOA News))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date November 15, 2023 14:48 EST
- Byline Robin Guess
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America