CA2801810A1 - Animal fatiguing maze barrier dispersal system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a barrier dispersal system embodying a fatiguing maze to separate prey from their animal predators. The system contains one or more continuous barriers encircling the enclosure grounds to restrict movement of prey and predators. The system contains maze layers of barrier elements/pieces positioned around the enclosed region and is included to cause physical fatigue by confusing and misleading predators as they attempt to navigate through the presented spatial learning task. Optional additional barrier pieces may be placed on either side of each opening within the concentric maze layers to convey egress directionality from the maze and to further prevent the involved organisms from encountering one another.
The present invention dilutes breach rates by creating a maze diversion to decrease the chance of successful breaches through the solid barrier or barriers, consequently increasing the protection of prey.

Description

1 Field of the Invention 2 The present disclosed invention relates generally to a barrier containment system for the protection 3 or isolation of the desired species in an enclosed region. This invention relates to a barrier system 4 used deter animals from entering or exiting the defined space.
Background 6 In areas where predation is an important concern, the protection of prey from animal predators is 7 required. For example, in some countries, livestock serves as a source of income for a large 8 percentage of the population and destruction of livestock by natural predators is a cause of financial 9 loss. Some traditional methods to deter predators exist including kraals, fences, guard animals and herding but an alternative invention could provide benefits to meet particular needs of several 11 communities (Predator Conservation Trust, 2012).
12 The structure of a habitat influences the occurrence or outcome of predator-prey encounters and 13 therefore mediates predation (Kauffman et al., 2007). Fences consisting of only a single barrier, 14 such as a basic mesh fence structure (US5,730,426), might reduce predator-prey interactions, but does not prevent encounters, since predators can still reach within close vicinity to their prey. More 16 recently invented animal barrier devices (US8162292 or CA2680032) contain rotating bodies to 17 cause the animal to fall back down again if it attempts to climb over the barrier. Few visual barriers 18 permit predators to more easily locate, sort and scan through potential prey for possible attack 19 (Kauffman et al., 2007). Therefore, proposed complex barriers do not effectively prevent predator-prey encounters and still only provide a single barrier where every breach by the organism will be 21 successful.
22 Many effective fences include an electric component to electrocute predators upon contact. This 23 adds capital and operational costs to the fence as said fence must be connected to a power grid and 24 continuously supplied with a current. For example, an electric fence (US7,887,028) although proven to reduce or eliminate predators in some areas, requires high initial costs for materials and 26 installations as well as continuous maintenance costs throughout the years (Linhart, Roberts, &
27 Dasch, 1982). Expensive fencing systems are not available for installation in some areas due to 28 limited budgets; therefore, a more affordable but effective fencing system would be of use in such 29 communities.

30 Methods such as electrocution cause direct harm to animals, which is not preferred in some regions 31 of the world.
32 A cheap yet sturdy alternative to conventional fences for the separation of prey from their predators, 33 without the use of harmful actions and that effectively reduces breach rates to deter said species is 34 needed.
35 Summary of the Invention 36 The present invention is proposed to overcome the mentioned breach rate problems associated with 37 conventional barriers. According to the present invention, the barrier system is an effective 38 mechanism for protecting a desired species by not causing direct physical harm to animals. The 39 proposed animal fatiguing maze barrier dispersal system consists of one or more solid barriers 40 extending around the perimeter of the region to be enclosed, and barrier pieces and elements 41 arranged in one or more maze layers.
42 Accordingly, the presence of solid barriers completely separates and divides the prey and predators 43 on either side of the barrier, in a similar manner to conventional barriers. These barriers help to 44 restrict the movement of organisms in or out of the enclosed region.
45 Examining predator-prey interactions, a habitat with landscape features predicted to be favorable to 46 predation may result in decreased survival rates (Poessel, 2011). For example, landscape features 47 that provide convenient travel corridors will increase encounters with prey and open habitats will 48 facilitate prey detection (Kauffman et al, 2007). Therefore, modifying a habitat by installing a 49 single barrier (i.e. a fence) to create an environment unfavorable to predators will decrease predator-50 prey encounters, and it is expected that increasing the complexity of this barrier by adding multiple 51 barriers will only magnify the effect.
52 The additional maze portions of the barrier system are included to make the habitat unfavorable for 53 predation by offering an increased protection of prey by decreasing the number of successful breach.
54 The inclusion of multiple barrier layers in this arrangement increases the amount of visual barriers, 55 making it more difficult for predators to scan prey, and further deterring predators from reaching 56 prey (Kauffman et al., 2007). Furthermore, it is expected that by multiplying the possible breach 57 points in the barrier system, the actual breaches through the solid barriers will be reduced. The 58 maze will act as a decoy or diversion, permitting several possible unsuccessful breach points within 59 the maze portion while significantly reducing the contact of predators with their prey.

60 The objective of the maze arrangement is to cause physical fatigue as animals reach a series of dead 61 ends and change routes while attempting to navigate through the barrier system. Learning 62 performance in difficult spatial learning tasks is believed to be impaired by physical fatigue 63 (Mizunoya, Oyaizu, Hirayama, & Fushiki, 2004). With this arrangement, it is expected that 64 physical fatigue and an increased difficulty to spatially navigate through the maze will deter 65 predators because the maze will prevent involved organisms from ever encountering each other.
66 Furthermore, the negative effect of fatigue on the ability to learn the maze system will cause the 67 barrier system to be effective in a long-term application.
68 Animals are able to assess different situations and integrate information into a decision-making 69 process to alter their behavior. In terms of predator-prey interactions, animals evaluate trade-offs, 70 weighing the energy benefits and costs of different choices (Poessel et al., 2011). These trade-offs 71 can apply to different situations where the benefit might represent the energy gained by killing prey 72 and the cost might represent the energy expended to do so (Lasky, Jetz, & Keitt, 2011). It is 73 expected that a maze will appear as an energetically expensive challenge, possibly not offering an 74 energy benefit. If a predator decides the barrier system does not provide an equal or beneficial 75 trade-off, the maze would therefore further deter predators from encountering their prey.
76 Another aspect of the present invention is the optional addition of a directional barrier piece on one 77 or both edges of some or all openings. The openings will be oriented in such a way to promote 78 egression from the maze to prevent organisms from encountering the solid barriers to maintain 79 separation of desired species. These pieces will be angled such that the opening will appear wider at 80 the proximal side (closest to the solid barrier separating the desired species) and narrower on the 81 distal side (side further away from the solid separating barrier), increasing the likelihood that the 82 organism will exit the maze.
83 In a preferred construction, the barrier system would be constructed using a pre-determined material 84 and installation method based on prior art and optimized for the particular predators, prey and 85 environment involved.
86 In a preferred but not exclusive application setting, this barrier system would be designed for 87 medium-sized predators, and the required height would be selected accordingly.
88 Preferably, the maze system would be most easily constructed on terrain ranging from fairly flat to 89 rolling. In some embodiments, the proposed barrier maze system can be used to protect livestock 90 from their natural predators, or used in protected habitats isolating specific plants or animals from 91 their predators.
92 The overall design approach of the maze is centered around a wildlife-friendly ideology. No direct 93 physical harm is inflicted upon the organisms involved.
94 Brief Description of the Drawings 95 The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference 96 numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
97 Figure 1 is an overhead view of the present invention;
98 Figure 2 is an isometric view of a single solid barrier only, omitting maze layers;
99 Figure 3 is a view of an opening in one concentric layer of the maze from the outside of the barrier 100 system towards the inner region being enclosed;
101 Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a cul-de-sac within a concentric maze layer.

103 Detailed Description of the Drawings 104 Figure 1 illustrates an animal fatiguing maze barrier dispersal system 1. As shown in Figure 1, the 105 barrier system 1 will surround the desired area to be enclosed. The barrier system 1 may be 106 designed to define any shape such as square, rectangular, circular, or free-form. The barrier system 107 consists of multiple layered components containing one or more solid barriers 10, and one or more 108 maze layers 21. In a preferred construction, the barrier system is to be constructed on land, 109 including terrains such as flat, rolling, forested and more.

111 The maze portions 20 of the barrier system span the entire perimeter of the enclosure and can be 112 positioned inside and/or outside any of the solid barriers to fatigue animals by presenting an 113 increased number of possible decoy breach points. A maze portion will consist of a plurality of 114 barrier pieces and/or elements arranged in a series of concentric layers 21. The spacing or width 115 between each adjacent concentric layer W will be pre-determined and may be equal or unequal 116 throughout the entirety of the barrier system. Barrier pieces 23 will be placed perpendicularly or 117 angularly within the concentric layers 21 and will extend across the width W of the maze path 24, 118 from one layer to the adjacent layer, to create a cul-de-sac or dead end. The dead ends will 119 encourage organisms to make decisions to travel along different passage-ways 24.

122 Figure 2 illustrates an example of a solid barrier 10, which extends continuously around the region 123 to be enclosed, isolating the predator and prey species from each other. The barrier extends from the 124 ground to a predetermined height D2, which can vary at different points along the barrier. The 125 height of the barrier D2 will be selected by the user according to the particular environment, 126 predators and prey involved. The height of the solid barrier layers can differ from the height of the 127 maze layers. The barrier is positioned at an angle of 0 degrees, with respect to the ground. In some 128 embodiments, the barrier system may be installed at an angle 0 with the ground to perhaps prevent 129 animals from scaling the wall. One or more gates as required from prior art can be inserted within 130 the inner barrier to permit pedestrian, vehicular or predator/prey passage.

132 Figure 3 illustrates an example of a view of an opening 40 in one layer of the maze from the outside 133 of the barrier system towards the inner enclosed region. Gaps or openings 40 may only be placed in 134 the concentric maze layers 21, which extend around the perimeter of the enclosed region. The 135 openings 40 may be placed at intermittent or constant predetermined points, to suit the application 136 of the barrier maze system. The measured width Z of each opening in a layer is predetermined. An 137 additional barrier piece 50 may be placed on both, either or neither edge of each opening 40 within a 138 maze layer 21. The barrier piece 50 will be placed in an orientation such as to promote egress 139 directionality. The barrier piece will extend from the edge of the maze layer 52, away from the solid 140 barrier separating the desired populations 53. The barrier piece 50 will extend from each edge of the 141 barrier opening 40 at an angle a. In a preferred construction a would range between 90 and 180 142 degrees in order to promote egression from the maze and away from the barrier separating the 143 desired species. The length L of the barrier piece 50 will be predetermined by the user. In some 144 embodiments, if two pieces are used on an opening, the pieces will be angled such that the width of 145 the opening at the proximal end Z is larger than that the distal end X.
Also, the outer maze will 146 extend to a predetermined height D1 from the ground, which can vary at different points along the 147 layer.

149 Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of one concentric layer within the maze. The inserted barrier 150 pieces 23 will be placed intermittently or constantly throughout the maze to form a series of cul-de-151 sacs to create a spatial learning task and physical challenge for the organisms. Each piece extends 152 from the edge of one barrier layer 60 to the edge of the adjacent barrier layer 61 at a predetermined 153 angle p, and at a predetermined angle 8. The length of the barrier piece W will be equal to the width 154 between adjacent concentric maze layers.
155 References 156 Kauffman, M. J., Varley, N., Smith, D. W., Stahler, D. R., MacNulty, D.
R., & Boyce, M. S. (2007).
157 Landscape heterogeneity shapes predation in a newly restored predator-prey system. Ecology 158 Letters, 10(8) 159 Lasky, J. R., Jetz, W., & Keitt, T. H. (2011). Conservation biogeography of the US-mexico border:
160 A transcontinental risk assessment of barriers to animal dispersal.
Diversity and Distributions, 161 17(4) 162 Linhart, S. B., Roberts, J. D., & Dasch, G. J. (1982). Electric fencing reduces coyote predation on 163 pastured sheep. Journal of Range Management, 35(3) 164 Mizunoya, W., Oyaizu, S., Hirayama, A., & Fushiki, T. (2004). Effects of physical fatigue in mice 165 on learning performance in a water maze. Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 68(4) 166 Poessel, S. A., Breck, S. W., Biggins, D. E., Livieri, T. M., Crooks, K. R., & Angeloni, L. (2011).
167 Landscape features influence postrelease predation on endangered black-footed ferrets. Journal 168 of Mammalogy, 92(4) 169 Predator Conservation Trust. (2012). Human-wildlife conflict. Retrieved January 04, 2013, from 170 http://www.predatorconservation.com/conflict2.htm

Claims (24)

1. A dispersal barrier system embodying a fatiguing maze to separate prey from their predators, comprising of a combination of one or more:
Solid barriers encircling the enclosure grounds Maze layers of barrier elements/pieces

2. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maze consists of a series of layers concentric with the enclosed region.

3. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the solid barrier or barriers and maze layer or layers extend from the ground to pre-determined heights.

4. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the solid barrier or barriers and the maze layer or layers are positioned at predetermined angles with respect to the ground.

5. The maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the solid barrier or barriers and maze layer or layers lie at pre-determined distances from one another.

6. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maze layer or layers are positioned internally and closer to the centre of the enclosed region than a solid barrier.

7. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maze layer or layers are placed externally or further away from the centre of the enclosed region than a solid barrier.

8. A maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the maze layer or layers are positioned both internally and externally to a solid barrier.

9. The maze layers as set forth in claim 2, wherein openings are inserted at constant predetermined points.

10. The maze layers as set forth in claim 2, wherein openings are inserted at intermittent predetermined points.

11. The maze openings as set forth in claim 10 or 1 1 , wherein each opening extends to a pre-determined width.

12. The maze layers as set forth in claim 2, wherein barrier pieces will be arranged within the maze to create cul-de-sacs.

13. The barrier pieces as set forth in claim 12, wherein each piece extends from the edge of one concentric layer to the edge of the adjacent concentric layer.

14. The barrier pieces as set forth in claim 12, wherein each piece meets the concentric layers at predetermined angles.

15. The barrier pieces as set forth in claim 12, wherein each piece can make contact with the ground at predetermined angles.

16. A maze opening as set forth in claim 11, wherein additional barrier extensions of pre-determined lengths are placed on the left and right side of said opening.

17. A maze opening as set forth in claim 11, wherein additional barrier extensions of pre-determined lengths are placed on the left side of said opening.

18. A maze opening as set forth in claim 11, wherein additional barrier extensions of pre-determined lengths are placed on the right side of said opening.

19. A maze opening as set forth in claim 11, wherein additional barrier extensions are omitted from said opening.

20. The additional barrier extension as set forth in claim 16, 17, 18, or 19 wherein the barrier piece will extend from the desired opening edge at a predetermined angle with respect to the attached barrier layer.

21. The maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the material used for the solid barrier or barriers is pre-determined by the user.

22. The maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the material used for the maze layer or layers is pre-determined by the user.

23. The maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the material used for the opening or openings is pre-determined by the user.

24. The maze barrier system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the solid barrier or barriers may contain a gate or gates as required from prior art.