Dead birds rain down on US town

[Guest guest]

Dead birds rain down on US town

 

Thousands of poisoned birds have dropped dead in an Illinois town...

 

....The European starlings were killed by poison distributed by the Agriculture

Department at the request of local farmers, who said the birds had been eating

cattle feed and causing other problems...

 

http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_503969.html

[Guest guest]

anji wrote:

>Dead birds rain down on US town

>

>Thousands of poisoned birds have dropped dead in an Illinois town...

>

>...The European starlings were killed by poison distributed by the Agriculture

>Department at the request of local farmers, who said the birds had been eating

>cattle feed and causing other problems...

>

>http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_503969.html

 

This is very disturbing. I've drafted a letter of complaint to the USDA's

" wildlife services " director today (text below). In case anyone else wants

to write, here's the address I found on the internet:

 

Kirk Gustad

Illinois Wildlife Services State Director

2869 Via Verde Drive

Springfield, IL 62703-4325

Phone: (217) 241-6700

FAX: (217) 241-6702

 

Here is the text of the letter. I'd appreciate any feedback. In particular,

are there any good sources of information about subsidies to the cattle

industry? I've read things about various types of subsidies (cheap water

being one of them), but I'd like to have references to hand before I send

my letter. If anyone wants to borrow the text of my letter, please feel

free to do so.

 

 

Dear Mr Gustad:

 

I understand that your department recently organized the poisoning of

thousands of starlings in Breese, Illinois. I discovered this by reading a

news story on the world wide web. In case you wish to verify its accuracy,

you can find it at:

 

http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_503969.html

 

I wish to protest at your practice of poisoning wild birds, because it is

inhumane and ultimately ineffective. The local starling population will

recover in a comparatively short amount of time, and you will feel obliged

(under pressure from local farmers) to poison more starlings at taxpayers'

expense. According to the news report, the poisoned birds fell to the

ground over a wide area. Are you taking any action to assess the effect on

other local wildlife, some of whom will have consumed poisoned starling

carcasses and perhaps also perished?

 

The meat and dairy industry is already heavily subsidized in its use of

water and other resources. It is unreasonable to further support this

cruelty by decimating the wild bird population, which would not have grown

so large in the first place were it not for the careless farming techniques

of cattle farmers. I urge the USDA to take a more responsible attitude to

food production, and to promote a more healthy vegetarian diet.

 

Yours sincerely,