A federal agency has declared war on wildlife.
It is a war that in 1988, in Utah, claimed the lives of 4,853 coyotes, 63 badgers, 25 black bears, two beavers, 12 bobcats, six deer, eight dogs, two gray foxes, 26 kit and swift foxes, 148 red foxes, 28 marmots, 28 mountain lions, 29 porcupines, 17 rabbits, 12 raccoons, five ravens and 15 skunks, for a total of 5,279 animals.The warriors who are blasting away at our fierce bunnies and birds are paid gunners and trappers of the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The shocking figures come from a draft environmental impact statement on APHIS' operations, the summary and Utah statistics that APHIS transmitted to the Deseret News at my request by fax machine. The draft selects as the preferred future direction a "business as usual" alternative.
Of course the killing isn't limited to Utah.
According to the Utah Wilderness Association, APHIS' victims nationally in 1988 included 76,000 coyotes, 3.5 million blackbirds, 200 mountain lions and 289 black bears. (APHIS couldn't quickly find the national figures for animals it has killed, so for now we must use information the Wilderness Association assembled in order to understand the national toll.)
APHIS admits that many animals it destroys - in this state alone, nearly 200 in that one year - were not targets of the control effort. None of the badgers were targets, although 63 were killed and three were released.
Among techniques used for this wholesale slaughter of Utah's wildlife were shooting from fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters; use of M-44 cyanide devices; leg-hold traps; snares, calling and then shooting wildlife; use of dogs to chase down bears; and denning. Denning is destroying coyotes and foxes in their dens, mostly the pups.
Few copies of the environmental statement have been sent to Utah. As Diane Baldwin of the APHIS office in Salt Lake City said, "You have to request it from them."
Unfortunately, most people interested in wildlife didn't know that APHIS has issued such a statement. Larry Thomas, acting director of APHIS' operational support staff for animal damage control, said comments are due by Aug. 31.
Probably the agency will extend the deadline, if enough people request it. But those who want to act had better hurry.
Utahns can write with comments or requests for the statement, addressing letters to Gary E. Larson, director, operational support staff, ADC-APHIS-USDA, Room 820, Federal Building, 6505 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, Md. 20782. Or call (301) 436-8281.
APHIS justifies its war on wildlife as follows:
"Depredation of field crops is caused by a variety of mammals and birds . . . Birds are responsible for most damage by consuming fruits and nuts and sometimes by roosting activities. Feeding by both large and small mammals may result in direct crop losses as well as damage to the vegetative parts of trees . . .
"Field rodents, beavers, black bears and deer damage commercial forests and forest products. Damage is usually the result of feeding or dam building activities . . .
"Badgers, feral bogs, beavers, gophers, prairie dogs, jack rabbits and kangaroo rats are among the important species or species groups that damage rangeland or pastures by digging, feeding or dam building activities . . .
"Several mammals, including coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, domestic dogs, black bears, foxes, raccoons and skunks kill, eat, injure or harass livestock. Golden eagles, ravens and black vultures also are responsible for depredation."
The continuous battle against animals costs $25 million nationally. APHIS says the losses that otherwise would occur to producers would amount to "several times the cost of the program."
To take only one species, I defy anyone to show how coyotes, which eat rodents, birds and probably lizards, could be a significant threat to grazing. Although a few predators could be identified that once in a great while take lambs, I doubt there could be any justification for killing nearly 5,000 of these animals a year in Utah.
Some of my happiest moments in the outdoors were when I enjoyed the coyotes' eerie warble and bark. It is unacceptable that these animals - and badgers, bobcats, black bears and the others - are being wiped out.
And it's outrageous that this is financed by our tax dollars. The wanton killing of our wildlife must end.