The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1918-06-14
WAGING WAR ON
FOOD DESTROYEUS
Predatory Animals In Western
States Cause Immense DAM
age Each Year.
HUNTERS ARE NOW At WORK
In Two and Half Years $1,000 Wolves,
Coyotes, Bobcats, Lions, Bears
and Other Beasts Killed by
Paid Hunters.

Thr city purchaser Of meat does not
always realize the really serious DIM
cultfes to be overcome before n choice
cut Of steak or n cheaper stcwlng piece
can be brought 10 market. lie buys
what he wants or eau afford. always
marveling ut the increasing cost. II
the supply OF food were increased by
S30o.O0O.O00 worth. the cost would be
correspondingly less, and when the
purchaser Is informed that this value
OF meat and other foodstufs il Van
tonly destroyed every year In the Unit
ed States he il likely 20 sit up and take
notice. More, he Is likely TO lnycsti.
gate the cause OF the waste and TO
help stop Il, n possible. Foodstuns
worth these millions OF dollars are dc
struyed every year through the raw
ages OF wild predatory animals and OF
small grain-enting and erop-destroying
rodents.
Unlike the hordes OF injurious In
sccts which prey on the crops almost
unseen. these animals are large enough
to be coTcd with slngly aud at u com.
puFhNlNGf sinai Gust
Yearly Damage by Wolf.
Wolves. for instance. are caught one
az n uLie. either In the trap or by
poison or with powder and shot. These
animals do not prowl the country over
night after night with only an Occa.
slonhl meal once or twice u week, hut
like other beasts must obtain their
food more or less regularly. As live
STOCK are especially choice morsels for
them, tho destruction each animal In
ficts on a herd Is enormous. Il does
not require any stretch Of the lmagi-
nation. therefore. TO grasp the fact that
each wolf destroys annually an aver
Rge OF $1,000 worth OF live stock. The
growing boy could not be 80 yoraclous.
Therefore, every wolf destroyed means
. years supply OF food for several boys
or grown men. Multiply this $1,000
destruction OF good food by the total
number OF wolves In the country and
We have n large part OF the ~ .0O0.-
coo worth OF food taken from domesu-
Gated focks and herds.
In the summer and early fall OF last
Yenr hunters OF the bureau OF biologi-
ol survey OF the department OF agri-
culture killed nearly 200 wolves. more
than half Of them In Texas, one OF the
greatest meat.produclng states OF the
Union. Wyoming. Arizona and New
Mexico are the better on for having
lost In this campaign about 90 OF these
marauders.
Damage by Other culprItG.
But wolves are not the only culpritH
that need to be dispatched II we are 70
market all the meat actually produced
on our extensive n g II has been
estimated by officials OF the department
OF agriculture that mountain lions and
stock.killing grizzly bears each destroy
annually $500 worth OF live stock.
and that each coyote and bobcat con
sunes a tenth OF this amount. Coyotes
and bobcats. however, ARE many times
more numerous than the mountain
lions and bears, judging from tbs
numbers destroyed by hunters OF the
biological survey. During part OF the
last summer and fall eight mountain
lions and "a bears paid the death pen.
atty for their %maraudlng, while In the
same time more than 1000 bobcats and
more than 10000 coyotes were exter
minated.
Had these animals been allowed 4
go about their nefarious work unmo
tested through the year, and through
the rest Of their natural lives, the,
would have taken the usual toll OF oul
meat supply accordingly. The pelt o.