Calls for Wildlife Services Reform Gains Momentum

A couple of weeks ago, we linked to a Sacramento Bees series about Wildlife Services, the federal agency responsible for killing millions of animals over the last decade. The articles showed how the agency uses a kill-first mentality when it comes to managing wildlife conflicts, resulting in significant numbers of accidental animal deaths—including family pets and endangered species like golden eagles—and imbalances in predator-prey numbers that could have serious environmental consequences over the long term.

We then put out an action alert to urge Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to reform Wildlife Services from the federal government’s top wildlife killers to a program that can truly resolve wildlife conflicts. And nearly 55,000 Defenders supporters responded!

Now the Sacramento Bee is reporting that two Congressman have called for an investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee into the agency’s activities.

It’s clear the movement to reform Wildlife Services is gaining momentum and you can help keep it going! Your donation will help Defenders:

• Continue to expose Wildlife Services’ “kill-first” mentality through media outreach, public education and grassroots mobilization;
• Pressure federal officials to reform Wildlife Services into a program that can effectively prevent and address wildlife conflicts by emphasizing non-lethal methods;
• Expand our pioneering on-the-ground coexistence work with ranchers to keep wolves and other predators out of harm’s way; and
• Much more to protect our wildlife and wild places.

Please donate now to support our work to reform Wildlife Services from a program that relies on killing to one that can more effectively resolve wildlife conflicts using proven non-lethal tools.