[va-richmond-general] Fw: [hsus-action] HUMANElines Issue 250
- From: "IE Ries" <ieries@xxxxxxx>
- To: "RAS List" <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003 10:23:54 -0400
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/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
You are subscribed to VA-Richmond-General. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-richmond-general-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject
field. To adjust other settings (vacation, digest, etc.) please visit,
//www.freelists.org/list/va-richmond-general.
Other related posts:
- » [va-richmond-general] Fw: [hsus-action] HUMANElines Issue 250
