LDWF says the wildlife is also being impacted by the drought conditions and excessive heat. State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Jim Lacour says reduced areas of water results in ducks to travel for alternative water sources.
“A lot of the smaller animals that need water sources, if they’re out in the middle of the field there’s not much moisture in the grass. They’re actually having to move over to waterways or ditches.”
When drought puts stress on plants, there’s a negative ripple effect on deer and other wildlife that depend on vegetation in large quantities. If there is insufficient moisture, Lacour says plants die or lacks the nutrition that deer and other wildlife need for survival and reproduction potential.
“If that mast crop is lacking, it can very well impact their reproductive success because of weight gain and everything else.”
Many animals eat insects to build fat reserves for migration. Lacour says a decrease in water sources and lower plant growth can reduce insect populations. He says birds like quails and turkeys rely on mast crops and insects to feed their newborn.
“The later part when the young birds try to feed on the insects, if its really really dry that can harm them. We’ll just have to wait and see about those populations later on.”
Lacour says drought conditions also limit water sources, thus concentrating wildlife and incresing the risk of predation and disease transmission.
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