Wildlife Services is a
program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that spends
millions of taxpayer dollars annually to kill thousands of apex predators—coyotes,
wolves, bears, cougars, and many others—as a subsidy for the livestock
industry. The animals are shot, poisoned, gassed, snared, and caught in leghold
traps - methods that are indiscriminate, ineffective, cruel, and also hazardous
to humans and pets.In
recent years, Wildlife Services has branched out to increase its
programs to
remove wildlife from urban areas - killing animals for eating flowers
and pet
food, digging in gardens, frightening people, and other concerns that
could
easily be addressed by nonviolent methods.
This is the agency that has
been contracted to eliminate coyotes and mountain beaver numerous times
in Lake Forest Park.
