Responding to legal pressure from a coalition of animal protection and conservation groups, Siskiyou County, Calif., officials announced that the county would suspend its contract with federal wildlife-killing agency Wildlife Services.
Under its Siskiyou County contracts, Wildlife Services killed approximately 28,000 animals in the county over the past decade. The program targeted wildlife such as coyotes, mountain lions, and black bears without assessing the damage this would wreak on the ecosystem or considering nonlethal alternatives. It also slaughtered nontarget animals, including domestic dogs and cats, using inhumane and indiscriminate methods like traps and snares.
Siskiyou is the fourth California county to suspend its contract with Wildlife Services as a result of the coalition’s efforts. It’s time for other California counties with wildlife-killing programs to sit up and take notice.
Read the press release.
