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It isn't often that USDA Wildlife Services steps out of its clandestine closet and into the public realm of discussion and debate.
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But, feeling "misunderstood," WS recently did exactly that.
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Apparently, miffed that the New York Times dared to run a somewhat unfavorable Editorial on WS calling it, "Agriculture's Misnamed Agency," Agriculture's Misnamed Agency - NYTimes.com, USDA responded with a published letter this week:
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It has taken nearly a month for USDA WS to conjure up rationalization and whitewash for its questionable and controversial activities.
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And it does so by not so subtlety insulting everyone in the country who doesn't happen to "live in rural America or work in agriculture."
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Apparently, the rest of us are not capable of "understanding" wildlife issues or the "mission" of USDA Wildlife Services and our opinions therefore, do not matter.
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But, one thing people do understand regardless of where they live is wildlife massacre -- especially when it hits home in their individual communities and is secretly carried out by local and federal government.
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Whether a college campus, a so-called, "Wildlife Refuge," a community park or even a "National Turkey Park," people from all over the nation are slowly waking up to the fact that USDA Wildlife Services is not what it portends to be and has in fact, strayed far from its original intent and purpose. -- That of supposedly protecting farmers from any livestock losses due to predators.
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One can debate the logic of setting up farm shop in the middle of mountain lion or wolf country (assuming we have any left).
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But, can there really be any debate that geese would not be allowed to exist on a so-called, "Wildlife Refuge" or that Turkeys could not be allowed to roam in a so-called, "National Turkey Park?"
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Does Wildlife Services not draw any lines at all on what it proposes for wildlife "culls" and actually carries out?
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In his August 14 published Times letter, WS administrator, Kevin Shea claims that lethal control of animals is "last resort" of Wildlife Services.
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One needs to question what was first resort when the issue was turkeys in Staten Island or geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (and hundreds of other locations around the country)?
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One also needs to question the honesty of USDA WS when negotiating wildlife "removal" contracts with private or governmental entities.
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According to reports from Chattanooga College and Staten Island the officials singing on to USDA "removal" contracts were under the impression that geese and turkeys would be harmlessly relocated.
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But, it seems at the last minute, USDA WS offered excuses for instead rounding up the birds and killing them. In the case of the Tennessee college, USDA WS claimed there was "no place" to relocate the geese and in the case of the Staten Island turkeys, WS claims some of the turkeys are "hybrids" and therefore, should not be mixed with other flocks.
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Such actions give the unmistakable appearance of "bait and switch" tactic. Something very unbecoming to a federal agency.
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To know the actual facts, one would need to gain access to the actual signed contracts to determine if USDA made it clear that lethal removals were not only distinct possibility, but actual probability.
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These games of "he said, she said" or pass the buck are simply unacceptable. Freedom of Information Requests are necessary to determine actual responsibility and culpability for USDA WS wildlife culls.
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Let it be considered that contrary to Mr. Shea's noble attempt to defend his "misunderstood" agency and argue that WS "disperses" more animals than it kills, the fact is, that WS kills more than 4 million animals a year.
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These include, but are not limited to everything from beavers (25,653) to red crested cardinals (6,282) to house finches (3,597) in FY 2012.
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It is imperative that everyone who cares about protecting the remaining wildlife of our great country sit down and write a letter to let USDA WS and Mr. Shea know how much we truly do "understand" them. -- PCA
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