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A War on Wildlife.

An emerging issue that needs to be addressed is the destruction of wildlife by our own government and the lack of discretion when it comes to these ridiculous and irresponsible actions. New data has emerged that the USDA’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Wildlife Services, has killed 2.7 million wild animals, 1.6 mil of which are native to our country, because of our country's decision to prioritize the agriculture and livestock industry. These killing are not only excessive, but extremely irresponsible because the destruction of wildlife will inevitably harm agriculture and the killing of bears, wolves, and cougars will ultimately harm the ecosystem, which is most certainly connected, whether the government likes to think so or not.1 Yet this is all simply in an effort to, as they claim on their website, “improve the coexistence of people and wildlife,” but their actions and mass murder of animals seems to show other motives. 3 While this number is lower than last year’s number of 3.2 million (2015), this does not exonerate the USDA’s actions, and shows how our government continues to show negligence when it comes to environmental protection efforts. As biologist and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, Collette Adkins states, “Wolves, bears and other carnivores help keep the natural balance of their ecosystems. Our government kills off the predators, such as coyotes, and then kills off their prey — like prairie dogs — in an absurd, pointless cycle of violence.”1 As Adkins also states, they really have no basis scientifically as to why killing millions of animals each year, by poisoning them, shooting them, strangling them, and using extremely inhumane leg hold traps is beneficial when it come to protecting land and livestock. This is also not to mention the fact that these “services” costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year and how these traps are not efficiently targeting animals, seen with the killing of an endangered male wolf by a cyanide bait trap last month.1 In many ways this only proves how unconcerned, and unaware, our government is about the environment and how their actions will inevitably hurt the agricultural industry and the livestock it claims to be protecting or helping.

As one Washington State University (WSU) biologist and researcher, Rob Wielgus, noted in an observation done with colleagues that reducing the population cougars through hunting in fact led to more livestock deaths. This can also be seen in wolves as mentioned by the Dodo, “With the death of a single wolf, cattle and sheep deaths bump up the next year by about 4 percent. Kill 20 wolves, and livestock are twice as likely to be killed.”2 This however is not surprising, and as Weilgus and WSU environmental scientist Kaylie Peebles make note of, when a wolf is killed this can separate a pack and if that pack happens to settle near livestock, the conflict which was trying to be avoided is in turn, initiated. This shows that it could be wise, as Weilgus hopes and suggests, to look for new nonlethal methods as a way of protecting livestock because obviously the senseless killing has not worked and science has helped prove it.2 Although this information exists,this still has not prevented the apparent “Wildlife Services” from, as the report states, “unintentionally” killing 2,790 animals. This data includes otters, beavers, foxes, turtles, skunks, and other animals that are potentially endangered like the wolf killed by the cyanide trap or potentially a pet. This practice is clearly not effectively managing the problem because destroying thousand of dens of prairie dogs, hundreds of fox dens, and roughly 77,000 coyotes and 430 dens with an undisclosed number of pups in them for animals like foxes and prairie dogs obviously doesn’t sound like it helps create coexistence amongst people and wildlife.1 Hopefully with more public outcry we can put an end to this outlandish “service” they claim to provide to society, and help educate people that these traps do not discriminate against pets or endangered wildlife, which in most eyes should be a crime. We have the power to motivate change, but only if we continue to speak out against these actions that are clearly under estimating the damage they are doing each day to wildlife of all shapes and sizes. Sources: 1. Center for Biological Diversity. 2.7 Million Animals Killed by Federal Wildlife-destruction Program in 2016. Center for Biological Diversity. Center for Biological Diversity, 14 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017. 2. Guarino, Ben. "Killing Wolves To Protect Farm Animals Backfires." The Dodo - For Animal People. TheDodo.com, Inc., 07 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2017. 3. Schweig, Sarah. "The U.S. Government Killed 2.7 Million Wild Animals Last Year." The Dodo – For Animal People. The Dodo.com, Inc., 14 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

#End the War on Wildlife #War on Wildlife #Enviro Focus #Environmental Journalism #Wildlife Preservation #Environmental Education #EnviroFocus

#an inconvenient truth #an inconvenient sequel #save our planet #envirofocus #truth to power

As forests continue to be destroyed and hunting of Black bears increases, we are seeing a decline in one of the United States' largest predators, which will certainly effect ecosystems in region if this senseless destruction continues. (Photo from Wildlife Earth Guardians)

#Wildlife Conservation #WildEarthGuardians #Environmental Education #EnviroFocus #Nature

Larsen C Ice Shelf is still cracking

#larsen c ice shelf #environmental education #envirofocus #british antarctic survey #natural environment research counsil

Jane Goodall serves as an inspiration for all of us who value nature over everything else. Let us all speak for those who cannot speak for themselves!

#Jane Goodall #Wildlife Conservation #One Green Planet #Enviro Focus #EnviroFocus #Environmental Education