Badgers and skunk that were supposed to shoo away pelicans from Idaho island take off

Badgers, skunk bail off pelican island in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho — Wildlife officials in Idaho found out that animals don’t follow instructions very well.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game put five predators — three badgers and two skunks — on an island in the Blackfoot Reservoir in hopes of keeping pelicans from nesting there.

The agency says the birds are eating too many fish, including sensitive Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

But two badgers outfitted with radio collars appear to have swum to the mainland, as did one skunk. Now, only one skunk with a radio collar remains.

The agency’s Mark Gamblin says spring snow flurries delayed pelican nesting this year, so the birds are still arriving to lay eggs.

He concedes that enlisting skunks and badgers to control pelicans hasn’t been as effective as he originally hoped.