USDA Admits: Exterminates Millions Birds & Bees, Thousands Mammals, even Endangered Bald Eagle..oops

ireport.cnn.com...

"Bye Bye Blackbird: USDA Admits To Poisoning Thousands of Animals"

Your tax dollars at work.

If you click on the USDA link to their spreadsheet you can see the number of birds and animals of various species that they intentionally kill per year:
www.aphis.usda.gov...

While a few of the species in this list are invasive species (i.e., European Starlings), most are not. If you go through the USDA list for those birds listed as “Intentional” and “Killed / Euthanized” in 2009: Brown-headed cowbirds: 1,046,109 European Starlings: 1,259,714 Red-winged blackbirds: 965,889 Canadian geese: 24,519 Grackles: 93,210 Pigeons: 96,297…plus tens of thousands of crows, doves, ducks, falcons, finches, gulls, hawks, herons, owls, ravens, sparrows, swallows, swans, turkeys, vultures and woodpeckers, among other animals.

You will also find that the chart shows that the USDA “unintentionally” euthanized one Bald Eagle.

Also killed/euthanized in 2009 by the USDA are other native species: 27,000 beavers, 1700 bobcats, 81,000 coyotes, 2,000 gray foxes, 336 mountain lions, 1900 woodchucks, 130 porcupines, 12,000 raccoons, 20,000 squirrels, 30,000 wild pigs, 478 wolves.

www.kipnews.org...

"USDA Admits Exterminating Birds, Crops, and Bees"

The USDA has been under fire recently for its admitted assault against nature, after multiple investigations have uncovered its deliberate tampering with both plants and animals alike.

One such investigation has put an end to the mystery surrounding the death of millions of birds, with USDA documents revealing the organization’s role in the massive slaughter.

In addition to the mass bird killings, it turns out the USDA was fully aware that a highly-popular herbicide chemical was a known bee-killer, which may have aided the bee decline.

The USDA has also threatened the genetic integrity of the nation’s crops., nformation has surfaced regarding the USDA’s illegal approval of Monsanto’s biotech crop, sugar beets.

www.reuters.com...

oh i forget to say for the smartalecs - yes the bald eagle is off the endangered species list officially since 2007

but i think that fact that USDA would registered on the spreadsheet that it happened to exterminate one in the kill list.. is quite symbolic

i mean, what do bald eagles symbolize?

reply to post by BiggerPicture

but i think that fact that USDA would registered on the spreadsheet that it happened to exterminate one in the kill list.. is quite symbolic

Unless you can provide the circumstances around the destruction of these animals it's not worth debating.

Originally posted by BiggerPicture

post removed by staff

I will just take one example from that list and give some background information. Then the rest of the people who read your OP, can at least consider this while making opinion. (Besides having a malware alert on the linked article, if that didn't send red flags already.

First, Lets look at a PDF I found from the USDA of HOW some of the animals were killed, or culled.

You will notice just with Geese, there are over 6000 listed killed by forestry officials with firearms.

This information is just to show that the 1 pdf linked in the source, is insufficient data to make a judgement. There is a big difference between traps, snares, firearms and chemical poisons. And of course the reasons they do it in the first place, but never mind, moving along....



Now lets take a look at blackbirds. Your source is quoting a total number culled (Around 1m) , but in my additional pdf we can at least exactly how around 600,000 went out.

DRC-1339-Staging Areas 618,508

DRC-1339 is a chemical avicide made specifically to kill certain types of birds, in this case, the blackbird.

Starlicide or gull toxicant is a chemical avicide that is highly toxic to European starlings and gulls, but less toxic to other birds or to mammals such as humans and pets.

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Why would anyone want to kill the darling blackbird?

Red-winged blackbirds can cause considerable damage to ripening corn, sunflower, sorghum, and oats in the milk and dough stages, and to sprouting and ripening rice.

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One of the most widespread b i r d problems in the Western United States is damage to ripening cereal grain crops. Crops such as corn, rice, and sorghum, when grown close to favored roosting areas are often subject to serious damage from large flocks of feeding blackbirds. The redwinged blackbird is the most numerous species and causes most of the damage, but other b l a c k b i r d species, i n c l u d i n g the yellow-headed blackbird, the common grackle, the brown-headed cowbird, and Brewer's blackbird, also contribute to damage problems.

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Damage t o corn b y blackbirds ( I c t e r ida e ) ha s been a n economic prohlem throughout historical
t ime s in Nor th America. Ohio, with t h e highest ne s t ing season population dens i ty of red-winged
blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in Nor th America and large a c r e age s of corn, ha s been a key
S t a t e in thi s conflict. S u r v e y s of damage from 1968 t o 1979 revealed t h a t blackbirds annually de-
s t royed less t h a n 1% of t h e corn c rops in Ohio, a 4- t o 6-million dollar loss a t 1979 prices.

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Context.

As long as im still able to find what i want to eat in a resturant, store or butcher shop. Im lookin the other way

S u r v e y s of damage from 1968 t o 1979 revealed t h a t blackbirds annually de- s t royed less t h a n 1% of t h e corn c rops in Ohio, a 4- t o 6-million dollar loss a t 1979 prices.

reply to post by boncho


Seriously, this is your counter argument? They killed millions of birds, knowing from one study alone of an ELEVEN year period, that, by their own admittance, the blackbirds destroyed LESS THAN ONE PERCENT anually of the corn crops in Ohio? I'm so glad to know that my children, children's children, and so on will have so fewer wildlife to see in their lifetime because we must protect less than 1% profit at ALL COSTS!

And don't get me started on the arrogance and greed of planting crops next to well-known nesting grounds of the birds (how dare you take up ANY space on this earth, I might want to plant there to maximize my profits!)

Remember, my friends, we're all locked into this planet together, every species, and we all coexist, benefitting each other, (yes wildlife, and even insects). Upset that balance and life as we know it will cease to exist.

By the way, next time you are out somewhere and you don't here the sounds and chatters of birds (not to mention other wildlife and insects) that you used to when you were younger, you can thank the USDA and others who created these mass killings. Reports from different people randomly stating, for whatever the topic is, that they open their windows or go outside and expect to hear birds singing, etc, etc, and DON'T, that is rather disturbing!

This makes me so, so very sad.
Birds are wonderful.
How else would we have learned to fly?

I pity the person who will never ever know the joy of finding a nest of blue robin's eggs in the spring.
To glance out a window and see a blue jay perched on a tree singing.
Or to see vultures circling an open field.
Hummingbirds buzzing around at the end of summer.
Cardinals still soaring in the winter.
So many colors, shapes, and sizes.
I saw a woodpecker yesterday at our bird feeder.
I see black hawks and pelicans high in the sky.
I even see bald eagles every once in a while, which is WILD.
Driving up the 1 in SanFran this past November, I was going through some forest, and a Condor flew with me, taking the same path as I was.

Wonderful. I am glad to live in a place where nature still exists to an extent.

amazing...... we sure are some "superior" creatures....

reply to post by RoyalBlue

Seriously, this is your counter argument? They killed millions of birds, knowing from one study alone of an ELEVEN year period, that, by their own admittance, the blackbirds destroyed LESS THAN ONE PERCENT anually of the corn crops in Ohio? I'm so glad to know that my children, children's children, and so on will have so fewer wildlife to see in their lifetime because we must protect less than 1% profit at ALL COSTS!

I quoted one study that showed an economic impact of 4-6 million dollars (in 1979) [it was an old study].

Using an inflation calculator, 4 million in 1979 is 12 million in 2012 dollars. 12 million is a lot to take out of a local economy. That is 12 million that goes to farmers and small towns of just one state.

The bird (pest) in question, is considered by some to be the most abundant in the US.

Claims have been made that it is the most abundant and most well studied bird in North America.[2]

Link

So I don't really see the harm in the culling of blackbirds.

Likewise, the culling of beavers is quite normal because of the havoc they can cause of wetlands and natural areas with their dams and water build up. And many other animals affect other natural (rarer) animals that are home to the areas where culling takes place.

If you would like to argue a specific case where the USDA is out of place, and should not be managing animal populations, I believe you would need more specifics. Right now the argument is pretty vague.

I'm so glad to know that my children, children's children, and so on will have so fewer wildlife to see in their lifetime

Killing one species does not necessarily mean there will be less wildlife. Some species and their high populations put pressure on other less dominant species. There are reasons why animals are listed as pests in some geographic regions. Like the mouse and certain frogs or toads in Australia.

reply to post by BiggerPicture


didn't read wall of text, WHY ARE THEY KILLING ANIMALS????

Originally posted by BiggerPicture
oh i forget to say for the smartalecs - yes the bald eagle is off the endangered species list officially since 2007

but i think that fact that USDA would registered on the spreadsheet that it happened to exterminate one in the kill list.. is quite symbolic

i mean, what do bald eagles symbolize?

It is still illegal to kill it, unintentional or not. In fact, if you accidentally killed one during a baseball game, you would at least be fined, and possibly imprisoned!

It happened to Dave Winfield, and it was only a Seagull!

Winfield did not let Steinbrenner's antics affect his play. He hit 37 home runs in a spectacular 1982 season. On August 4, 1983, Winfield accidentally killed a seagull by throwing a ball while warming up before the fifth inning of a game at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. Fans responded by hurling obscenities and improvised missiles. After the game, he was brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station and charged with cruelty to animals.

Wiki

Originally posted by SoymilkAlaska
reply to post by BiggerPicture

 

didn't read wall of text, WHY ARE THEY KILLING ANIMALS????

There are different reason for each animal. In NYC they kill geese because of air safety. I think everyone still remembers that old pilot and his safe landing into the Hudson because of geese flying into the plane.

The Times reports that the geese, 400 in total, were rounded up Thursday and euthanized. The idea is to prevent the geese from flying into aircraft in the manner that forced US Airways flight 1549 to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River in January 2009.

Link

Here's an idea for what to do with the meat.

maybe its time to eliminate the FDA???

Heey!

I like birds.

reply to post by boncho

Using an inflation calculator, 4 million in 1979 is 12 million in 2012 dollars. 12 million is a lot to take out of a local economy. That is 12 million that goes to farmers and small towns of just one state.

12 million is an arbitrary number. The airline industry kept "saving" money by tactics such as getting rid of full meals on shorter flights, taking away free snacks saved more money, getting rid of free peanuts, saved even more...then they started by cramming more seats on planes(empty space was "costing" them money)...next thing you know "larger" people had trouble flying because they couldn't fit in the seats, average people were uncomfortable...hey, they could save more money that's costing them by getting rid of safety flotation seats, cutting back on maintenance, getting rid of one of the engines.....my point is you can save a whole heck of a lot of money, but at some point you tip the scale and cause more damage than the money you're "saving" or "making".

As far as losing 12 million out of a local economy, that was less than ONE percent of what they did make. Not to mention, the millions of birds they exterminated may have easily saved more than 12 million in an economy by providing free pest control, re-seeding our planet by the seeds they drop in their "poop", etc, etc.

People need to look past the dollar signs to see the whole picture.

reply to post by RoyalBlue

12 million is an arbitrary number.

Hardly. If a farmer loses his entire crop I assure he does not consider that number arbitrary:

On occasion, blackbirds have destroyed entire fields of sunflower in a few days.

If all farmers lost less than 2 percent of their crops, there would be little concern; however, the damage is not equally distributed. While most farmers escape economically serious blackbird damage (that which affects more than 5 percent of their crops), profit margins for other farmers are significantly reduced.

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It would be one thing if the culling were shown to be damaging the overall status of the blackbird, but they naturally die off and produce at a very high rate:

Between 40 and 50 percent of the blackbird population dies every year. But these mortality figures are offset by the birds' reproductive success. On average, a female produces two to four fledglings per year.

Source

And the also remain a protected species:

Blackbirds are native migratory birds and thus come under the jurisdiction of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a formal treaty with Canada and Mexico. Blackbirds are protected by Federal law (Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21.43) in the United States except that they may be killed when found "committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance."

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That source also mentions however that there are perhaps overestimates on damage, yet another one speaks about the damage to individual farmers when the birds are centralized in their actions:

If all producers received less than 2 percent damage, there would be little concern for damage caused by blackbirds. However, damage is not equally distributed, can be severe for some producers, and is fairly consistent from year-to-year within a locality.

I think the most important thing to take into account, is the huge number of blackbirds in the Americas population:

Population estimates are that nearly 200 million individuals occur in a range extending from SE Alaska and Canada across the lower 48 states and well into Central America.

DRC-1339 baiting would occur on not more than 50 acres in harvested fields near red-winged blackbird staging areas in east-central South Dakota and target not more than 2 million red-winged blackbirds annually.

Culling up to 2 million from a population of 200 million does not seem to be abuse of the governing agencies. I'm sure most people have killed spiders/mice/etc in their homes, and this is really no different.

And yet, they don't eliminate the "problems", just adding more poison to this planet. I wonder how many people will die because of their actions. It's sick. In your way??? kill it. Irritant??? kill it. Our attempt at creating a sterile perfect environment will come back and bite us, I guarantee it. Oh, isn't Monsanto supposed to market seeds/plants that birds won't eat? They do with sunflowers.

reply to post by Gridrebel

I wonder how many people will die because of their actions.

In the case of the blackbird I would say probably none:

DRC 1339 was discovered during the screening of over 400 chemicals at the Denver Wildlife Research Centre for a material that was highly toxic to a limited number of bird species, of low toxicity to humans and other animals, palatable to the bird pests (in that case, starlings), and with a slow, non-violent mode of action to prevent other birds from being alarmed and avoiding the baits. DRC 1339 met all these requirements.

Source

For one, it has low toxicity for humans, and secondly, I highly doubt humans would be planning to eat a pile of contaminated bait that is left in staging areas (as warning signs are posted).


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POST THE AREA WITH WARNING SIGNS DURING THE BAITING OPERATION IF BAIT IS LEFT UNATTENDED OR IF CHILDREN, PETS OR DOMESTIC ANIMALS HAVE ACCESS TO THE BAITING SITE.

Guidelines for DRC1339 use in Idaho.