[va-richmond-general] Fw: [hsus-action] HUMANElines Issue 250

Some of you may already know about this, but I thought I'd pass it along for 
those who havein't seen this yet.  

            
          
        Issue 250 --- June 4, 2003 
        A Project of The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for 
Animals
        http://www.humanelines.org/

       

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        LAST CHANCE TO SAVE VIRGINIA VULTURES:

        A brash vulture extermination plan is about to commence in Virginia, 
under the direction of the USDA's notorious "Wildlife Services" (WS) agency. 
Still to be determined is the actual number of birds that WS will kill. It has 
asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for a permit to kill 2,500 
black vultures and 1,500 turkey vultures, and although the USFWS initially 
balked at granting a permit to kill this many birds, it now appears ready to 
grant the permit. WS' continual insistence on employing lethal methods to 
address complaints about wildlife is both puzzling and troublesome. Especially 
in the case of vultures, a variety of preventative measures are available to 
reduce property dam! age, including the removal of odorous attractants, the 
installation of bird-proof barriers, and habitat alteration. Moreover, the 
claim that extermination is needed for the sake of human health is suspect, at 
best. A risk to human health from vultures has never been documented; in fact, 
research suggests that, by eating carrion, vultures may actually help reduce 
disease risk for humans. 

          WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

          Contact USFWS officials today and ask them to deny the 
vulture-killing permit requested by Wildlife Services in Virginia. Remind them 
that vultures are ecologically important, misunderstood birds that deserve 
greater tolerance and a non-lethal approach to resolving any conflicts, real or 
perceived. Certainly, baiting vultures should not be allowed under any 
circumstances, as this will simply be a mass slaughter and might attract new 
vultures to the area as well.

            a.. Diane Pence, Chief 
            Migratory Birds, Northeast Region 
            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
            300 Westgate Center Drive 
            Hadley, MA 01035 
            phone: 413-253-8577 
            fax: 413-253-8308 
            email: diane_pence@xxxxxxx


            b.. Please cc your letters to the USFWS' Northeast Region Deputy 
Director Richard Bennett 
            fax: 413-253-8308
            email: rick_bennet@xxxxxxx 


       

       
       











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