STATEN ISLAND MASSACRE - FEW ARE LEFT ALIVE BY HEARTLESS BOROUGH, USDA
August 13, 2013
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: KIILEY BLACKMAN
Westchester County, NY
August 15, 2013 Westchester4Geese joins with GooseWatch NYC
to denounce the latest victims of the rampant killing sprees conducted
by the USDA against our wildlife. Staten Island, already the butt of
jokes by every late-night comedian on tv, has callously ordered the
death of its beloved resident turkeys - and the slaughter-for-profit
USDA Wildlife Services was only too glad to oblige.
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/08/feds_round_up_wild_turkeys_on.html
This horrible account describes how the turkeys had '...survived the
ravages of Hurricane Sandy, but now its off to the slaughterhouse,' as
the USDA jackbooted thugs arrived with food to lure the birds into large
black nets. "They were picking the turkeys up by their necks and feet,
and throwing them into plastic crates," described one clearly upset
observer. "The birds were piled four crates high in the back of two
pickup trucks, and then they just let them sit." And what unspeakable
crime had these intelligent, sentient birds and their families
committed? They pooped. And they also walked around town.
USDA Spokesperson Carol Bannerman has convenient excuses for these
slaughters - but they're always lies. She touts totally unfounded
'bacterial concerns' from feces...encourages killing birds instead of
clean-up efforts while cleverly helping the borough ignore the smell of
the world's largest landfill in their backyard; she claims the birds are
'aggressive' (always a fallback for wildlife plunderers) - again with
zero evidence of anyone ever being injured in any way...and finally, she
cites that the birds have the audacity to walk in the street and force
the driving public to proceed with caution - the birds have some nerve!
Bannerman then puts the pr spin on this cruelty by saying the flesh
will be 'donated to the poor' - despite the fact that by all accounts
the flesh of wild turkeys is tough, gristly and largely inedible.
A recent FOIA request revealed that this year USDA Wildlife Services is
authorized to kill 10,000 birds in NY alone, receiving millions of
taxpayer dollars in total to do so; half are Canada geese...the rest are
an incredible assortment of birds, including cardinals, Red-tailed
Hawks, owls, ducks, sandpipers, herons and more. USDA Wildlife Services
is the target of investigations by two US Congressmen, a Fox News
expose, and is being sued for human rights discrimination as well; The
NY Times calls them 'Agriculture's Misnamed Agency.'
USDA
Wildlife Services freely lies about humane management methods, telling
municipalities that none of them work - though the fact is many are
indeed working right here in NY. Bannerman recently justified a
slaughter at the airport near Cornwall NY, 'to avoid bird strikes,' by
citing an article that in fact placed the blame for a plane crash on an
air traffic controller error.
Kiley Blackman, founder of
Westchester4Geese said, 'You don't kill an animal because he poops, its
outrageous! Where is our decency? S.I.residents have to
actually drive the speed limit and be careful of what's in the street?!
Be thankful you have a car - you should be driving carefully anyway.
And your car emissions are causing more damage than any turkey ever
could. S.I. is letting pesticide companies needlessly spray carcenogenic
'west nile' toxins on them, and they're worried about poop? The USDA
dispenses permits like they're confetti at a parade; they gave kill
permits to two race tracks - why does a race track get a kill permit?
We demand this agency be held accountable for the suffering, death and
destruction it is responsible for.'
David Karopkin, founder of
GooseWatch NYC, agrees: 'Recently we were shocked at the needless USDA
slaughter of geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife 'Refuge' - and now again New
Yorkers are outraged over the cruel, unwarranted slaughter of Staten
Island's wild turkeys. The USDA refuses to provide an opportunity for
public comments or any transparency regarding where or when they plan a
slaughter. They kill for any reason they think they can get away with,
motivated solely by profit; in fact, the arguments put forth for these
killings, such as health concerns, have been debunked by biologists and
other experts. We stand up now for the urban wildlife we have the
privilege to share this great city with, on behalf of all New Yorkers
who wish to protect and co-exist with these beautiful, innocent
creatures.'
Note: GooseWatchNYC will be holding a rally on this matter on 8/14 at
noon, Seaview Ave/Capodanno Blvd in Staten Island.
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