Monday, June 30, 2014

Raining On Kill Parade of USDA Wildlife (Extermination) Services


 
Safe for this year: Our goose family in Central Park.
Close to 100 people turned out on streets of NYC last week to protest USDA WS goose slaughters currently occurring in our great city.
"USDA WS get out of town!"
Got that right. Here in NYC, we love our geese and want to preserve them for our grand kids to enjoy, as we have.
Wonderful news for the geese of Central Park:
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They are apparently not a target for roundups and slaughters conducted by USDA WS in New York City this time of year.  
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This news comes straight from a high official at USDA WS in response to a letter sent to the agency questioning and critiquing many of APHIS' actions and claims. Though the intention was obviously not to assure or pacify, it ironically does so.   Said the writer:
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"Just to let Mr. Shear and Mr. Clay know, thus writer has had an obsession with WS work since 2009 due to her concern for Central Park geese. No work has been planned or conducted there, but the correspondent is much like the writer from Vancouver."
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Quite frankly, I don't mind being portrayed as some "obsessive" nut case as long as getting assurances that our geese at CP are safe.  The odd thing was nothing in the rather lengthy, detailed letter sent to USDA WS officials even mentioned Central Park.
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Rather, the letter was critical of APHIS's tendencies to deflect, obfuscate, mislead and deceive the general public and community/public officials into believing things that are untrue.
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For example, the repeated use of euphemisms like "euthanasia" and "removal" to characterize  gassings or slaughters of geese and promises of "relocation" of animals when the actual plan is to kill or set them up as targets in a hunting preserve.
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The other thing off-putting in WS's dismissive response is that it implies I am the only one distressed about goose and other wildlife killings both, in New York City and elsewhere around the country.
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That is hardly true as witnessed by more than 61,000 people recently signing on to a Internet petition highly critical of Wildlife Services's kill programs: https://www.change.org/petitions/wildlife-services-stop-slaughtering-millions-of-wild-animals# as well as close to a hundred participants who turned out last week to specifically protest USDA's goose slaughters in New York City.  (see photos).
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WS may like to believe that it is only one or two "obsessive" wack jobs upset about its wanton wildlife killing programs, but the facts would highly indicate otherwise.
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APHIS officials can continue to languish in their ivory towers telling themselves that all those who dare to question or criticize their lethal actions against wildlife are ignorant and/or obsessive fools who, after protesting will "go home and turn on football."
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But, they should consider it is those same ignorant and obsessive fools paying their salaries through tax dollars.
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As it is not nice to fool with mother nature, it is also unwise to belittle and dismiss those citizens actually putting the bread and butter on your table and paying for your BMW's  -- PCA
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2 comments:

  1. Mary CastrovillaJune 30, 2014 at 4:31 AM

    Both you and Monte Merrick used the word odd.

    I say it’s upsetting that Carol Bannerman et al are keeping tabs on us.(One of my geese friends- whose husband reads just about everything pertaining to animal abuse (while she’s feeding/TNR feral cats) told me that we advocates are considered terrorists!)
    It’s also further still another example that WS (maybe with the help of NSA ?? ) is wasting taxpayer’s money by gathering/keeping such detailed info about us “geese/wildlife/animal” advocates.
    You: "The odd thing was nothing in the rather lengthy, detailed letter sent to USDA WS officials even mentioned Central Park.
    “While it’s odd that he has replied directly to me, rather than to Change.org, which also didn’t share my email address, I am glad that USDA staff are aware that public light is being cast on Wildlife Services”. Monte Merrick see USDA Wildlife Services responds directly to BAX co-director over Change.org petition.

    Mary Castrovilla (to Carol Bannerman: yes I'm a geese/wildlife/animal” advocate- check out my FB page.

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  2. PCAJune 30, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    To be honest, Mary, I am not surprised Bannerman knew who I was. We have had some contentious conversations in the past and I've mentioned her a few times in blog. What surprised was that she ignored everything in the actual letter to bring up Central Park. But, hey, I no longer have to tredge out every morning at dawn to check on our geese at CP! In ironic way, Bannerman was helpful, though that surely was not her intent. :)

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