US Wildlife Services is Really a Wildlife Killing Machine

Wildlife Services uses a host of cruel methods to kill coyotes including trapping, poison, hunting, aerial gunning, and snares.

GEORGE WUERTHNER: ‘Wildlife Services is a secretive taxpayer-supported federal agency whose prime purpose is to kill wildlife. Wildlife Services uses a host of cruel methods to kill coyotes including trapping, poison, hunting, aerial gunning, and snares, all based on the flawed assumption that such procedures will reduce coyote predation on livestock as well as huntable species like deer. Ironically, such control measures increase the likelihood of predation.

In a sense, Wildlife Services control begets more coyotes and more predation, thus creating a circular feedback mechanism that creates political support for continued agency funding. In other words, Wildlife Services does not want to see coyote predation reduced since the more predation it can create by its activities, the more funding support it receives. The basic issue is that Wildlife Services ignores coyote social ecology…

The only alternative that is effective is non-lethal measures such as guard animals, corralling livestock at night, and herding. Indeed, in some California counties, tax dollars that previously went to Wildlife Services were used for non-lethal methods, resulting in lower predation losses, and costs. It’s time to put the Wildlife Services killing machine out of business and to put more responsibility upon ranchers to manage their animals in a way that reduces predator opportunity’. SOURCE…

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