'That's a bloodbath': How a federal program kills wildlife for private interests
The USDA's Wildlife Services program kills hundreds of thousands of wild animals annually, often without evidence of livestock damage, facing criticism for its methods and calls for reform towards nonlethal practices.
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The USDA's Wildlife Services program, established in the 1930s, is responsible for the killing of hundreds of thousands of wild animals annually, often at the request of private landowners. Despite the Endangered Species Act's intent to protect certain species, the program continues to kill noninvasive wildlife, including threatened species like grizzly bears, under the justification of protecting livestock. Investigations reveal that many animals are killed without evidence of livestock damage, with approximately 11,000 wild animals killed in Montana alone from 2019 to 2022 where no livestock injuries were reported. The program employs methods such as aerial shooting, traps, and cyanide, leading to concerns about local extirpation of predator species. Critics, including conservationists and some ranchers, argue that Wildlife Services operates without sufficient scientific backing and often prioritizes lethal methods over nonlethal alternatives. Recent legal rulings have required the agency to provide evidence of the effectiveness of its management strategies before continuing its practices. Calls for reform are growing, with some advocating for new regulations to limit the program's actions on public lands and promote more humane wildlife management practices.
- Wildlife Services kills hundreds of thousands of wild animals annually, often without evidence of livestock damage.
- The program has faced criticism for its methods, including aerial shooting and traps, which can lead to local extirpation of species.
- Legal rulings are pushing Wildlife Services to demonstrate the effectiveness of its management strategies.
- There is a growing call for reform to promote nonlethal wildlife management practices.
- Some ranchers also support changes to Wildlife Services, indicating a shift in perspectives within the agricultural community.
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3 commentsWhere we live on the Vermont/New Hampshire state line, we've had a several hundred percent increase in problematic black bears over the last 3-4 years. Normally, black bears are "more afraid of us than we are of them", and they avoid human contact. But once they discover that human houses represent food sources, well, they are 250 pound predators.
We've had a number of serious incidents in the last decade. A couple of examples:
- Woman attacked in her own home, loses eye: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/18/black-bear-att...
- A bear ripped a hole into the exterior wall of a kitchen to gain entry. Sorry, I can't find the photo for this right now, but was similar to the exit hole in this article: https://www.chestertelegraph.org/2024/08/14/plenty-of-bear-s...
Right now, some of our friends are dealing with a black bear that has repeatedly loitered on their porch. They have toddlers, pets and farm animals. And that bear isn't showing much fear of humans at all, which is a serious warning sign.
Vermont has asked anyone who encounters an aggressive bear to report it to the game warderns. They have a process for evaluating the situation. But often, the only good answer is for the wardens to shoot the bear. When possible, people would prefer to leave this to the wardens than to shoot the bear themselves.
If you live in bear country, remember, "a fed bear is a dead bear." Do not leave food sources where bears can find them, and discover that houses are a food source. When this happens, it puts human safety at risk, and it all too often means the bear will need to be shot by a warden.
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