This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services is considering yet another tragic bird-killing spree, and this time it has its sights set on the birds in Georgia. Turkeys, Canada geese, osprey, barn swallows, rock pigeons, mourning doves, crows, and American robins are just a few of the species who will fall victim to these killings. Tell Wildlife Services that this heartless slaughter must come to an end and to implement “Alternative 3” instead to use non-lethal strategies only.

Recently in Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas Wildlife Services moved forward with plans to kill thousands of birds. More birds are slated to be killed in Tennessee as well. Now, it's proposing the same in Georgia. Countless birds will be unjustly killed for simply existing. Natural and necessary behaviors such as eating, defecating, nesting, gathering in flocks, and flying are grounds for mass murder according to Wildlife Services.

Many of the perceived conflicts with birds are due to disruption of and threat to animal agriculture. Birds that congregate in groups, such as European starlings and rock pigeons, consume crops used to feed farmed animals and defecate, which may spread diseases or contaminate feed and water. If humans did not confine animals to small spaces and slaughter them to consume their flesh, there would be no perceived conflict and both farmed and wild animal lives could be spared.

The methods that are being considered for lethally managing birds are brutal and tragic. Birds like turkeys will be killed via firearms, and geese, the perpetual victims of human cruelty towards birds, will be killed with cervical dislocation or carbon dioxide gassing. Other unsuspecting birds like European starlings will have snap traps placed in their nests, and more will suffer through agonizingly painful ends after ingesting poisons like Avitrol and DRC-1339. Poisons are not only a horrible way for a bird to die, but they pose a risk to other wild animals, animal companions, and humans as well. Poisons can move through the food chain and affect raptors and other predators and scavengers who may eat birds exposed to these toxins.

The good news is that there are a plethora of alternative non-lethal methods that are available and effective. These include human presence, exclusion methods like netting and fencing, noise and visual deterrents, habitat alteration, and relocation, among others. Wildlife Services is considering “Alternative 3” which would allow only the use of non-lethal bird management methods, and it is imperative that the agency gives this option fair and thorough consideration.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.