Center for
Biological Diversity
June 2016
The total number of wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, beavers, foxes, eagles and other animals killed largely at the behest of the livestock industry and other agribusinesses represents a half-million-animal increase over the 2.7 million animals the agency killed in 2014.
In 1997, after several name changes, the deceptive name “Wildlife Services” was inaugurated in place of “Biological Survey.”
Ignoring Calls for Reform, Wildlife Services Kills Half-million More Coyotes, Bears, Wolves, Foxes, Other Animals Than Previous Year
WASHINGTON— The highly secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as Wildlife Services killed more than 3.2 million animals during fiscal year 2015, according to new data released by the agency. The total number of wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, beavers, foxes, eagles and other animals killed largely at the behest of the livestock industry and other agribusinesses represents a half-million-animal increase over the 2.7 million animals the agency killed in 2014.
Read Targeting Wildlife Services.
See USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Program Data Report G - 2015 - Animals Dispersed / Killed or Euthanized / Freed
Despite increasing calls for reform a century after the federal
wildlife-killing program began in 1915, the latest kill report indicates
that the program’s reckless slaughter continues, including 385 gray wolves,
68,905 coyotes (plus an unknown number of pups in 492 destroyed dens), 480
black bears, 284 mountain lions, 731 bobcats, 492 river otters (all but 83
killed “unintentionally”), 3,437 foxes, two bald eagles and 21,559 beavers.
The program also killed 20,777 prairie dogs outright, plus an unknown number
killed in more than 59,000 burrows that were destroyed or fumigated.
“Despite mounting public outcry and calls from Congress to reform these
barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its slaughter of
America’s wildlife with no public oversight,” said Michael Robinson of the
Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s simply no scientific basis for
continuing to shoot, poison and strangle millions of animals every year — a
cruel practice that not only fails to effectively manage targeted wildlife
but poses an ongoing threat to other animals, including pets.”
Agency insiders have revealed that the agency kills many more animals than
it reports.
The data show that the Department of Agriculture boosted its killing program
despite a growing public outcry and calls for reform by scientists, elected
officials and nongovernmental organizations.
“The Department of Agriculture should get out of the wildlife-slaughter
business,” said Robinson. “Wolves, bears and other carnivores help keep the
natural balance of their ecosystems. Our government kills off the predators,
such as coyotes, and then kills off their prey — like prairie dogs — in an
absurd, pointless cycle of violence.”
Background
USDA’s Wildlife Services program began in 1915 when Congress appropriated
$125,000 to the Bureau of Biological Survey for “destroying wolves, coyotes,
and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry” on national
forests and other public lands.
By the 1920s scientists and fur trappers were robustly criticizing the
Biological Survey’s massive poisoning of wildlife, and in response in 1928
the agency officially renounced “extermination” as its goal. Nevertheless it
proceeded to exterminate wolves, grizzly bears, black-footed ferrets and
other animals from most of their remaining ranges in the years to follow.
The agency was blocked from completely exterminating these species through
the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act.
In 1997, after several name changes, the deceptive name “Wildlife Services”
was inaugurated in place of “Biological Survey.”
Number of animals killed in the world by the fishing, meat, dairy and egg industries, since you opened this webpage.
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