Killing is the method most frequently used by the
federal government to control livestock predators such as coyotes,
lions and bears, according to a recent report by the General
Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. Although
guidelines for Animal Damage Control staff require them to consider
non-lethal methods of control first, federal investigators found
they turned to lethal methods in virtually all cases. In 1994, for
example, ADC killed more than 100,000 predators, almost all
coyotes. This was not a surprise to Tom Skeele, director of the
nonprofit Predator Project in Montana, though he says the report
“reveals a bit more truth about the program I affectionately refer
to as “All the Dead Critters.” “””Agency spokesman Stuart
McDonald, based in Lakewood, Colo., says that few options other
than killing predators exist for field personnel. Usually, he says,
ranchers have tried non-lethal methods such as guard dogs and
fences, and failed; then they call ADC. For a copy of Animal Damage
Control: Efforts to Protect Livestock from Predators, write General
Accounting Office, 441 G St. NW, Room 1116, Washington, DC 20548
(202/512-8021).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Agency chooses death.
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