“An obscure division of the US government has had a busy 2021 – and ruthless – killing more than 1.75 million animals across the country”writing The Guardian, which relays the latest annual report from the Wildlife Services, a department of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). i.e. a felling rate of approximately “200 creatures per hour”.
Among the animals killed were alligators, armadillos, doves, owls, otters, porcupines, snakes and turtles. European starlings pay the heaviest price alone, accounting for more than a million of the animals killed. But we also find“324 gray wolves, 64,131 coyotes, 433 black bears, 200 cougars, 605 lynx, 3,014 foxes and 24,687 beavers”. A truly “species Noah’s ark”summarizes the British newspaper.
“The Wildlife Services targets certain invasive species it considers a threat to ecosystems, such as feral hogs and nutria, but it also controversially kills a large number of species native to the United States”explains the article.
These figures have fueled the anger of conservation groups who have denounced the cruelty and uselessness of these fellings. The Wildlife Services says the deaths are necessary to protect farmers and public health.