Use ultrasonic noises to deter crop damage by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

20%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Ultrasonic noise is sound waves at higher frequencies than those audible to humans. Different mammal species can detect sound at different ranges of frequencies, so some ultrasonic noises may be audible to a range of mammal species. If ultrasonic noises can deter animals from damaging crops, this could reduce motivation for carrying out lethal control of such species.

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects of using ultrasonic noises to deter crop damage by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict. This study was in Australia.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

OTHER (1 STUDY)

Human-wildlife conflict (1 study): A replicated, controlled, paired sites study in Australia found that ultrasonic devices did not repel eastern gray kangaroos.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, controlled, paired sites study in 1995–1996 on a grassland site in Victoria, Australia (Bender 2003) found that ultrasonic devices (ROO-Guard) did not repel eastern gray kangaroos Macropus giganteus. The number of kangaroo faecal pellets counted with the devices running (0.36–0.38 pellets/m²/day) was not significantly different from the number counted in the presence of dummy devices (0.17–0.20 pellets/m²/day). ROO-Guards were reported by the manufacturer to emit high frequency noise that is inaudible to humans but which deters kangaroos by masking their ability to hear predators. ROO-Guard Mk II devices were operated in December 1995–January 1996 in five open grassy areas of ≥100 m diameter. Each was paired with a similar area ≥850 m away, where an inactive device was simultaneously placed. Kangaroo use of each area was assessed by counting faecal pellets after 5–10 days.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Bender H. (2003) Deterrence of kangaroos from agricultural areas using ultrasonic frequencies: efficacy of a commercial device. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 31, 1037-1046.

Please cite as:

Littlewood, N.A., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K., Martin, P.A., Lockhart, S.L., Schoonover, R.F., Wilman, E., Bladon, A.J., Sainsbury, K.A., Pimm S. and Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Terrestrial Mammal Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for terrestrial mammals excluding bats and primates. Synopses of Conservation Evidence Series. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Terrestrial Mammal Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Use loud noises to deter crop damage (e.g. banger sticks, drums, tins, iron sheets) by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	10	Synopsis Link
Establish deviation ponds in fish farms to reduce predation of fish stock by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Translocate crop raiders away from crops (e.g. elephants) to reduce human-wildlife conflict Action Link	Trade-off between benefit and harms	2	Synopsis Link