Wildlife Services (WS) began as Animal Damage Control, which started out killing pests and added predators to its list of targets in 1914. The agency has since expanded its services and has continued killing hundreds of thousands of native animals every year under the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The agency has wantonly killed wildlife, including endangered species, using methods that range from using poisons, traps and snares to aerial gunning and employing snipers. It has also been accused of illegal activity, coverups, falsifying reports, injuring people and killing family pets, while employees have been found guilty of horrific and intentional acts of animal cruelty without facing disciplinary actions.
This agency needs to be eliminated.