As Man Faces Off With Nature More Often, U.S. Agency Scrutinized

The mission of the Agriculture Department's Wildlife Service is to mitigate conflict between humans and wildlife. But critics say some of its activities are cruel to animals and that it should be more transparent. The USDA's inspector general is conducting an audit of the agency. Results are expected later this year. Wildlife Services has been around in some form since 1895. In a video on its website, a Wildlife Services biologist demonstrates one of its biggest jobs, chasing birds from airports. In this case the biologist uses pyrotechnics to scare them. USDA Administrator Kevin Shea says Wildlife Services' mandate is pretty simple. "Our role is to help when people and wildlife come into conflict," Shea says, "try to mitigate the damage while not endangering any species or the land." Those conflicts between people and wildlife have become increasingly common. Wildlife Services traps and kills invasive species like nutria, a possum-like rodent that tears up the wetlands around the Chesapeake Bay, and feral pigs, which are rapidly spreading across the U.S. Out West, Wildlife Services is engaged in its most controversial activities. "What Wildlife Services does is run around the country killing things like bears and mountain lions and coyotes and wolves and millions and millions of birds and other animals," says Andrew Wetzler, director of wildlife conservation for the Natural Resources Defense Council. The NRDC, along with other environmental groups, is a fierce critic of Wildlife Services. Wetzler says the agency is essentially an exterminating service for private ranchers, using tax dollars to kill predators...more