U.S. wildlife agent accused of trapping a neighbor's dog

[G_j]

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/31/5153892/us-wildlife-agent-accused-of-trapping.html

U.S. wildlife agent accused of trapping a neighbor's dog

By Tom Knudson
[e-mail]

Published: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 7A

The arrest of a federal Wildlife Services trapper in Arizona earlier this month on a charge of animal cruelty has sparked renewed concern about the little-known agency.

Wildlife Services, which was the focus of a Bee investigative series last year, is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that specializes in destroying and dispersing animals considered to be a threat to agriculture, the public and the environment.

Since 2000, employees have killed more than 1 million coyotes and other predators, along with many other species, from nonnative starlings and wild pigs to migratory shorebirds, beaver, porcupines, river otters and other native wildlife.

In the process, they have also accidentally killed more than 50,000 non-target animals, from domestic dogs to golden eagles and black bears, The Bee investigation found.

In Arizona, Wildlife Services employee Russell Files is accused of setting traps with the specific intent of capturing a neighbor's dog he found troublesome.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/31/5153892/us-wildlife-agent-accused-of-trapping.html#storylink=cpy

[Angry Dragon]

1. the emphasis should be on relocation and not killing

[TeamPooka]

2. I would like to see Files have to test the traps on himself Judge.

[2naSalit]

3. At issue here

is that USD-AG, APHIS, WS is the hit squad for any animal that someone find troublesome. Several of their agents have gone way off the rail, especially with wild canids of all kinds from coyotes to wolves... they don't seem to be bothered by feral dogs in general though. This is not the only recent incident where a WS guy (trapper) has been found losing it with dogs. This one doesn't like his neighbors' dog but yet another, last year, was caught not just trapping coyotes but training his Airedales to rip them apart while still in the trap. The whole agency needs to be dismantled and recreated to deal with issues of real concern like keeping geese and such off runways at airports. Anything to do with wildlife in wild places should be taken off their menu and they should be privately funded for those operations who ask them to do their jobs, not at taxpayer expense.

These people are pretty messed up in the head. I know a bunch of them and there's only two I've ever trusted and they were essentially silenced once W got into office.

Thanks for posting this.

[G_j]

6. "The whole agency needs to be dismantled"

yesterday!

[2naSalit]

7. Indeed! (nt)

[joeybee12]

4. Unfortunately, far too many people who go into this line of work

Have no concern for the wildlife itself...many state agencies exist mainly to make it easier for hunters...it sucks.

[2naSalit]

5. And another thing or two

about WS...

They seem to have managed to set up conditions in many states where they operate with impunity and no accountability for the expense they incur, to the tune of million$ from each state they operate in, and go out and kill for sport under gov't sanction. The Sacramento Bee and The Wildlife News have reported many stories about their tactics and impunity.