Spring 2007 Newsletter

The totals for species killed nationwide are staggering -- from gray foxes to river otters, from wolves to great blue herons

  The most recent online data available from the government details how many animals were killed and which animals were killed by the Wildlife Services program during fiscal year 2005.  The numbers are truly staggering.  It is hard to believe that nearly two million animals were killed in a single year.

  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.  Wildlife Services trappers used a wide variety of poisons, snares, traps, and hunting techniques to kill 1,746,248 animals that were deemed to be pests or problems to agricultural interests, feedlots, fish farms, ranchers, homeowners, or others with complaints.  Nearly 10,000 raccoons, more than 61,000 pigeons, over 500 river otters, nearly 1,700 gray foxes, and over 72,000 coyotes were just a portion of the staggering kill counts.   Here in the local region, the available statistics for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (the most recent data that has been released) total nearly 1,300 animals killed in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties during the two years.