Coyotes are the leading cause of predation losses for sheep and goat 

producers. The livestock protection collar (LPC) is a wildlife damage 

management tool carefully used by WS personnel to protect sheep and 

goats in fenced pastures from depredating coyotes. 

The LPC is the most selective method available to manage coyote 

predation on sheep and goats—only the coyote that attacks a sheep or 

goat fi tted with an LPC is killed. The collars contain two reservoirs with low 

concentration doses of Compound 1080, which is fatal to predators when 

ingested during an attack. 

In 2006, WS fi tted 2,041 collars on producers’ sheep and goats. Of the 

47 predators killed by LPCs that year, all were coyotes, the target species. 

WS is authorized to use the LPC in nine States and on average releases only 

0.05 pounds (e.g., less than one ounce) of Compound 1080 annually. 

The LPC is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

as a restricted use product. WS personnel using the LPC must be trained 

in its use and a State certifi ed pesticide applicator. They must follow all 

label directions and EPA use restrictions. A 2009 EPA review of WS’ use 

of the LPC supports the program’s registration of Compound 1080. The 

EPA review highlighted the program’s priorities of safe, effective, and 

environmentally responsible use, storage, and accountability.

How the Collar Works

Two sizes of LPCs are available. The small collar—for lambs and kids 

weighing less than 50 pounds—is a dollar bill-sized rubber rectangle. The 

larger collar—for sheep and goats weighing more than 50 pounds—is 

approximately 1.5 times longer. Both sizes contain two small rubber 

reservoirs, each fi lled with 15 ml of a 1-percent solution of Compound 1080 

in water, or 150 mg sodium fl uoroacetate per reservoir.

Protecting People

Protecting Agriculture

Protecting Wildlife

Wildlife Services Factsheet

May 2010

The Livestock 

Protection Collar

Wildlife Services (WS), a 

program within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s 

(USDA) Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS), provides Federal 

leadership and expertise 

to resolve wildlife confl icts 

that threaten the Nation’s 

agricultural and natural 

resources, human health and 

safety, and property.

When nonlethal methods to 

limit predatory attacks on sheep 

and goats prove ineffi cient 

or ineffective, WS employs 

tools that target the offending 

predators.

When biting the throat of a 

collared animal, a coyote receives

a dose of Compound 1080 in the 

mouth. The naturally occurring 

organic fl uorine compound is 

fatal to predators when ingested 

during an attack. 
Coyotes generally attack prey of this size with a 

crushing bite to the neck. The LPC is placed under 

the throat of a sheep or goat and held in place with 

VelcroTM straps. When a coyote attacks a collared 

animal, biting the throat where the LPC is positioned, 

the coyote receives a dose of Compound 1080 in 

the mouth. Typically, only one reservoir is punctured 

during an attack. 

Compound 1080 blocks energy production in 

the Krebs cycle, a major metabolic mechanism that 

releases energy from food. Within 5 hours of receiving 

the dosage, the coyote will die from cardiac failure or 

central nervous system failure. (The collar-wearing 

sheep or goat usually will also die due to suffocation 

caused by the coyote attack.) 

Livestock Damage

Coyotes and feral dogs cause substantial damage to 

livestock and poultry producers, particularly those with 

sheep and goats. In a 2004 survey of producers, the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) found that 

coyotes nationwide killed an estimated 135,600 sheep 

and lambs worth a total of $10.7 million. Dogs and foxes 

accounted for an additional 34,000 lamb and sheep 

deaths worth $3.1 million. According to the same 

NASS survey, an estimated 155,000 goats were killed 

by predators (of all kinds). Based on the survey’s data, 

WS estimates that the number of goats killed by canids 

(i.e., coyotes and wild dogs) could total approximately 

117,000 animals, valued at about $12.1 million.

After studying a petition to ban LPCs, EPA 

determined that predation accounts for a signifi cant 

portion of premature livestock losses. EPA found that 

the use of LPCs have signifi cant benefi ts in reducing 

predation on livestock without negative long-term impact 

on the target predators or other nontarget species.

Nontarget Hazards

Overall, the LPC’s design makes the risk of nontarget 

species contacting the collar’s contents extremely 

low. To further ensure that the collar is safely and 

responsibly used, WS experts routinely use their 

knowledge of animal behavior patterns and biology 

to determine what risks, if any, may be present to 

nontarget animals. When specialists recommend using 

LPCs for a particular situation, they are required—

according to the program’s decision model—to 

determine the risk to nontarget animals. 

Sodium fl uoroacetate (Compound 1080) can 

be classifi ed as highly toxic to mammals and birds. 

Species vary considerably in their response to sodium 

fl uoroacetate, with primates and birds ranking least 

sensitive, and carnivores the most susceptible. A few 

fi sh species are slightly sensitive to the toxicant, but 

most show no sensitivity at all. 

Livestock carcasses contaminated with the toxicant 

on the wool or hair near punctured collars may pose a 

risk to some scavengers. However, in research studies 

that allowed dogs, skunks, magpies, and eagles to feed 

on contaminated carcasses, researchers found that 

these species were not adversely affected because they 

did not eat the contaminated wool or hair. 

Because sodium fl uoroacetate does not accumulate 

in tissues at toxicologically signifi cant levels, the secondary 

hazards from toxic residue accumulation in target 

coyote tissue are low. In research studies, scavenger 

species were given tissues to eat from coyotes killed by 

Compound 1080, and they showed no negative effect. 

Environmental Safety and Security 

Sodium fl uoroacetate is a naturally occurring organic 

fl uorine compound extracted from the West African 

plant “ratbane” (Dichapetalum toxicarium). The 

chemically stable, nonvolatile compound is relatively 

insoluble in most organic solvents. If the compound 

spills to the soil during a predator attack, it is degraded 

by soil microorganisms. Most soils contain a microbial 

population suffi ciently varied and abundant to result 

in degradation of any sodium fl uoroacetate that spills. 

Plants produce enzymes that are capable of degrading 

The risk of nontarget species contacting the livestock protection 

collar’s contents is extremely low.
sodium fl uoroacetate and of limiting its accumulation in 

plants. 

LPCs’ toxic contents are dyed for easy detection 

if spilled. Affected soil can be scooped up according 

to pesticide label directions. At least once a week, 

applicators check the livestock with collars in the 

enclosed pastures where the devices are used. 

Because of potential security issues related to 

hazardous materials, WS personnel take appropriate 

security measures in the handling and storing of LPCs. 

In a 2007–09 review, EPA consulted with the Department 

of Homeland Security and agreed that it is not necessary 

for security reasons to cease the use of LPCs. 

After a 2001 management alert regarding the 

inventory and accountability of hazardous materials, 

WS worked with USDA’s Offi ce of the Inspector General 

(OIG) to refi ne and strengthen hazardous materials 

management, including Compound 1080. All OIG 

audit report recommendations have been implemented, 

particularly those refi ning inventory and reconciliation 

processes. In 2007, WS contracted with the U.S. 

Public Health Service’s Federal Occupational Health 

Services for a review of pesticide safety, including 

Compound 1080. Its report showed no noncompliance 

with Federal or State inspections during the past 5 

years at studied sites and stated that the program’s 

“storage requirements are far more stringent than 

current regulations require.”

Wildlife Services Program

As a Federal service that shares costs with cooperators, 

WS is authorized by Congress to manage wildlife 

damage. WS employees recognize wildlife is an 

important public resource valued by the American 

people, and they conduct their wildlife damage 

management programs accordingly.

WS addresses damage using an integrated 

wildlife damage management approach. In selecting 

control techniques for specific situations, damage is 

confirmed and assessed. Personnel then consider 

the species responsible, frequency, extent of the 

damage, status of the species, local environmental 

conditions, environmental impacts, and other 

factors. These factors are evaluated and used to 

formulate strategies that may include use of one 

or more nonlethal or lethal techniques. A 2004 

study showed that 31.9 percent of sheep and lamb 

producers used at least one nonlethal predator 

control method; these producer’s nonlethal methods 

totaled a cost of approximately $9.8 million. The 

LPC is one of many tools available to WS for predator 

management.

Additional Information

For more information about this and other WS 

programs or to request assistance from your WS State 

offi ce, please telephone 1-866-4USDA-WS or contact 

the WS Operational Support Staff at (301) 851-4009. 

Additionally, you can contact WS by mail at: USDA, 

APHIS, WS, 4700 River Road, Unit 87, Riverdale, MD 

20737.

You can also fi nd information on WS programs by 

visiting our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_

damage/.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service