Target: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Goal: Stop the unnecessary and sadistic persecution of predators, and implement humane solutions instead.
Wildlife Services, a federal program managed by the USDA, has a vague and misleading title. The primary services they render include protecting farmers’ livestock from predators and airports from birds, and the former involves slaughtering hundreds of thousands of wild animals per year. The stated purpose of this agency is to promote the coexistence of wildlife and humans, however, its actions speak to the fact that it is solely serving the welfare of the members of the human population who see animals as a nuisance and lobby for their eradication.
According to the USDA, Wildlife Services spent $0 in 2020 on threatened and endangered species conservation. Currently, there is a full page on their website specifically dedicated to this endeavor, so one would assume that it is meant to be included in their budget and duties. In that same year, they killed 1.5 million wild animals. Based on these numbers, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that they are opting for the easy way out by killing animals rather than using more intelligent and creative solutions in order to foster a harmonious relationship.
Wildlife Services has repeatedly ignored requests for more transparency regarding their budget and how it is spent. Interestingly, the only expenditure available in WS’s Program Data Reports was the zero dollar amount listed above. What we do know is that they receive funding from both federal appropriations and cooperator-provided funds. This may lead one to wonder if the program is actually financially backed by members of industries who benefit from the elimination of certain predatory animals. It appears that Wildlife Services isn’t serving the wildlife at all and it is time for them to do the job they claim to and promote coexistence and conservation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
We are making a call to action regarding the Wildlife Services Agency. The purpose of this organization, according to the USDA website, is to promote the successful coexistence of humans and wildlife. However, they killed 1.5 million wild animals in 2020 and, according to their own data, made zero efforts toward conservation. This information is just a sample of the evidence that their true focus is unevenly weighted to favor human interests.
It’s a fact that many wild animals can pose a danger to humans and their livelihood, but I think we can all agree that the number of animals that are destroyed is beyond excessive. We also take issue with the cruel and unnecessary methods used, namely the destruction of coyotes’ dens (252 in 2020) and the shooting of beavers (25,594 in 2020) rather than relocating them. It’s time to take a closer look at this agency and demand transparency in where their funding is coming from and who or what they are actually serving, because they are certainly doing a disservice to the wildlife of America.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
It is well known that this agency exists to make ranchers happy, to kill wildlife so ranchers won’t have to be responsible for their own livestock and to give the hunting crowd a reason to help kill off our wildlife – not to mention the agency’s own hired killers who gleefully kill anything they can locate. This agency needs to be shut down or it needs to actually work for mitigating wildlife issues, not causing them. WILDLIFE SERVICES MEANS HELPING ANIMALS AVOID CONFLICTS WITH HUMANS, NOT TO JUST KILL ANY ANIMAL THEY COME ACROSS!
I agree with you 100%
YOU PEOPLE ARE KILLING MACHINES, YOU ARE ALSO COWARDS WHEN YOU KILL ANIMALS IN COLD BLOOD. STOP IT!!!
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Stop the unnecessary and sadistic persecution of predators, and implement humane solutions instead.