USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Wildlife Services announced in a Facebook post it has partnered with Utah State University and sheep producers from several states to evaluate the effectiveness of a new light deterrent known as a flashtag.
According to APHIS, the ear tag will protect against predation by activating when it is dark and the animal is in rapid motion. The large-scale study will determine the device’s effectiveness and limitations for deterring livestock predation by wolves, coyotes and other predators. Results are expected later this year.
In 2021, prototype flashtags were developed and tested on a band of sheep in Idaho. Those trials showed promising results, with the ear tags being durable and nondisruptive to the sheep, and they may have deterred some predation.
