Public money should not be spent to slaughter wildlife for the benefit of private ranchers. Currently, Wildlife Services spends more than half its budget on predator control programs. Ranchers in the 17 Western states receive more than 96 percent of these funds, but pay less than one percent towards the costs of running the program. The Green Scissors Campaign, a coalition of taxpayer and environmental groups, made cutting the Wildlife Services' western predator control program a top priority in 1999. Environmentalists argue the agency uses indiscriminate, lethal methods and lacks accountability.
Taxpayers argue that the program is an unnecessary subsidy to the livestock industry.
Serious questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the program. Between 1983 and 1993, funding for ADC's livestock programs increased more than 70 percent while the number of predators killed increased 30 percent. However, livestock losses during the same time period did not decrease. Especially considering all the ballyhoo over the ballooning cost of the bill.