USDA’s Wildlife Services - a “service” wildlife can do without

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.

 More information about the USDA’s Wildlife Services program can be found here as well as in a recent in-depth investigative report by the Sacramento Bee:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

 
In addition, please make sure to read about critical legislation in Congress, introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D, CA-53) that would require Wildlife Services to disclose far more about the millions of animals it kills across the country than it does today. 
 

Additionally, please visit the Sacramento Bee and Missoula Independent for coverage of an ongoing case of a USDA Wildlife Services employee, Jamie P. Olson, who has posted several graphic pictures of his hunting dogs tormenting and attacking trapped coyotes in Wyoming (Warning: graphic images).

Animal advocates are calling on the USDA to immediately terminate Mr. Olson, and perform a full investigation of the USDA Wildlife Services for other egregious acts of animal torture.