US wildlife agency animal cruelty

This video from the USA says about itself:

11 June 2014

It was reported last year that the U.S. government killed 4 million wild animals! Why did they do this? Trace explains their reasoning, and why these killings are so controversial.

From Wildlife Extra:

US Congress calls for investigation of US wildlife agency cruelty

Staff boasting about their cruel exploits

December 2012. The secretive United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ‘Wildlife Services’ department has run into very hot water again. The Sacramento Bee, the highly respected newspaper, has uncovered a series of abuses by the USDA Wildlife Services involving cruelty to animals by ‘Wildlife Service’ staff, who then proceeded to boast about their deeds on social media.

The case gained prominence when photos revealed that a member of the Wildlife Services, Jamie Ohlson, posted images of a coyote that was caught in a leg trap being attacked and killed by his dogs. Ohlson also posted images of himself posing with the tattered remains of the coyote. Aside from the abuse and suffering heaped on the poor coyote, to boast of this cruelty via social networking implies that Mr Ohlson is really not the right person to be doing this work.

Ohlson is not alone though. In a very similar case the Washington Post revealed that a U.S. Forest Service Employee Josh Bransford posed with a wolf that he had just shot. The wolf in question was actually caught in a leg trap, and Bransford shot the immobilized wolf before posing with the dead animal with a big grin on his face. Why why why would anyone do that?

US Congress

The Sacramento Bee‘s report has prompted 4 members of the US Congress to write an open letter calling for “A full and thorough investigation of Wildlife Services“. The letter also noted that whilst the US Army permits reporters to accompany them into battle, the Wildlife Services refused permission for the Sacramento Bee‘s staff to accompany Wildlife Services staff.

‘Wildlife Services’  have featured in Wildlife Extra before. They cull more than 1 million animals every year, often from the air, and spend millions on aerial gunning and ‘wildlife control’. At least 10 staff have been killed in air crashes, and dozens more badly injured.

Wildlife Services-a barbaric, wasteful and misnamed agency within the US Department of Agriculture, has been having their way for almost a century, our government’s secret war on wildlife has been killing millions of native predators and birds as well as maiming, poisoning, and brutalizing countless non-targeted and endangered species, along with quite a few pets and seriously injuring people: here.

Related articles

• Calif. Reps. Campbell, DeFazio seek probe of US Wildlife Services (mcclatchydc.com)
• Federal wildlife employee sparks outrage for photos of animal abuse posted online (greenerideal.com)
• Investigation targets Wyoming trapper (trib.com)
• Renewed call for probe of federal Wildlife Services (sacbee.com)
• U.S. Wildlife Service Continue To Be Under Fire (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• Wildlife abuse on Facebook? > U.S. wildlife specialist accused of animal cruelty. (newsreview.com)
• Terminate Federal Employee Jamie Olson for Extreme Cruelty Against Animals (our-compass.org)