Texas has the largest number of predators killed, followed by California. In most cases, ranchers contact Wildlife Services after animals have eaten sheep or calves. The agency also helps fight rabies, prevents bird collisions with airplanes and protects endangered species, Clay notes. But a closer look at federal records shows that in the West, the winners are ranchers. Federal and state funds provided 73 percent.
Opponents say the subsidy is antiquated.
But most cows die from more mundane causes than predators. In some cases, he said, only lethal means work. Sheep ranchers agree. Without an estimated 20 visits a year from a Wildlife Services agent to kill problem predators, their fourth-generation business would be in jeopardy, she said. Some recipients are hardly struggling family ranchers.