"They Turn on Football" (And Forget Goose and Wildlife Massacres)

Victims of "football?"  According to NY State Director of USDA WS, people forgive and forget wildlife massacres as long as there is football (and other entertainment) to turn on TV.

 Call it, "Environmental Watergate or Government on Steroids or Wildlife Mafia."  But, the reality is that birds and other wildlife are being contracted for hits and "culls" all across the country and behind the backs of the taxpayers who unknowingly and unwittingly pay for them.

It required FOIR to discover that the Dept of Fish and Wildlife has contracted with USDA WS for a massive kill of 10,000 birds in the state of New York over the next few months -- including 5,000 Canada geese:

Massive NY State Bird Killing Program Revealed

In North Carolina today, people are waking up to the reality of geese secretly rounded up and gassed at Gaston County Park by the feds -- despite a highly reputable waterfowl rescue organization's prior offers to humanely and effectively help to manage the population. 

 (112) Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is devoting most of its Facebook page today to imploring people to make calls and protest the carnage.

But, that is the typical and not the exception.

The people either find out too late about impending wildlife kills (and that mostly through FOIRs) to effectively do anything to stop them or more commonly, find out about them after the fact.

It makes one wonder if this is what the founders of the Constitution had in mind when formulating a "government for and by the people" and deeming out roles of federal government?

Did they ever foresee a day when federal employees would be secretly rounding up geese for gassing at urban parks and killing thousands of house finches and millions of starlings?

Very little, if any of this makes local and national news.

Those media outlets covering any of the carnage usually publish (virtually verbatim) government's rationalizations and press releases for the kills.  Few questions are asked and even fewer answered.

Killing of wildlife is too often a (governmental) first response, rather than a last resort when it comes to resolving so-called "conflicts" between wildlife and humans.

And since it appears that it is only environmental or animal activists and organizations "upset" about the massacres, the contract kills are unlikely to be impacted at all.

As Martin Lowney (Director of New York State USDA APHIS WS) told me a couple of years ago:

 "Sure, we understand some people get upset. But, as soon as they go home and turn on football, they quickly forget and move on."

And that is apparently what USDA WS and other federal agencies are counting on.

That we all turn on football (or The Bachelor or Real Housewives of Hollywood) and quickly "forget and move on."

And if that be the case, then the people get the government they deserve. -- Only, it's the animals that pay for it with their blood and their lives. -- PCA

                                                         


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