January 14, 2001

The Honorable Connie Morella

US House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congresswoman Morella:

I'd like to thank you for the leadership you've shown this past year in addressing important wildlife issues in the U.S. I'm especially pleased that along with Representatives DeFazio and Bass, you introduced an amendment to cut funding for one of the most disastrous programs ever conceived by the US Government-the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services. In spite of its nice name, this program is responsible for killing more than 100,000 animals each year in the Western United States. As you know, it was previously known as the Animal Damage Control program, but recently changed its name to deflect criticism.

This agency is responsible for poisoning, trapping, and shooting from aircraft anything that competes with livestock, even when livestock are grazing on public lands. It has targeted. thousands of wild animals such as coyotes, foxes, bear, mountain lions, and any other animal considered harmful by western ranchers. The control methods are often non-selective and kill thousands of animals who are not even targeted such as pet dogs, eagles and hawks, ferrets, bear, or any other animal that might step into a trap or sample a poisoned bait.

In 1999, this notorious wildlife killing program killed 11,313 birds and mammals in New Mexico alone, according to the agency's recently released annual report. Wildlife experts estimate that more than 2/3 of poison kills are non-targeted animals.

The Animal Damage Control program has been known to bait meat with Compound 1080 or sodium cyanide and set it out in huge grid patterns distributed over large areas of the West. Compound 1080, developed by Germany during World War II, is quoted by EPA as being "one of the most dangerous toxins known to man". These programs are known to have killed millions of non-targeted animals, including scavengers like crows, ravens, jays, magpies, badgers, weasels, or any animal or insect attracted to dead meat. This deadly poison is then passed on to any other animal that might eat their carcasses.

Wildlife Services is used to subsidize ranchers with little proven benefit, and it stands in the way of adoption of more humane and effective livestock protection methods such as the use of guard dogs. The public shouldn't pay for the killing of wildlife, especially on public lands, by an agency that measures success by a carcass count.

Please introduce legislation again this year to have this agency eliminated or its funding reduced.

Sincerely,

Robert DeGroot

President, MAGIC

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