Wildlife Services is actually part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The agency is also primarily responsible for protecting crops from certain animals. This is done, among other things, with the help of poison, traps and clamps. The big problem with the traps and clamps? Apart from the unnecessary animal suffering they often cause, it is also not possible to select which animals end up in them. And so nearly 3,000 animals were wrongfully killed, some of which were protected species.
The protected species included a harbor porpoise, three golden eagles and a bald eagle. In addition, another 12 American black bears, four cougars and 17 alligators died accidentally.
“We are tracking and reporting the unintentional dead animals. Where possible, we adjust the activities in the field,” the statement of the agency states briefly. “Four out of five unintentionally captured animals are released or rehomed unharmed.”