The founders of SpayVac-for-Wildlife say the answer to the growing problem of wildlife management might lie in birth control vaccines.

With the constant shrinking of habitats, many wildlife species — even endangered ones — suffer from the effects of overcrowding on their small territories. The overpopulation demands resources the environment often cannot supply. This can lead to not only starvation but also cases like the May 2018 death of nearly 200 wild horses that became stuck in mud as they were searching for water in Arizona.

Not only does overpopulation damage the overpopulated animals, but it also negatively affects their ecosystems by reducing biodiversity, spreading diseases, monopolizing resources and more.

A common example of wildlife overpopulation in North America is deer, which can damage crops, spread diseases and cause collisions between vehicles and animals. Fitchburg-based SpayVac works on controlling not only deer population, but also other animals where overpopulation is not as obvious, such as seals, elephants, donkeys and wild horses. Read the full story here.