Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
Use OF POISON BAIT
BY U. S. AGENCY HIT
MammaIogiSts Call Biological
Surveys Policy Menace
to Wild Life.

CULTURE OSpaTt11eI1t, WHICH mas Ck1dE &c
of predatory animal control, is accused
Of seriously menacing the wild life Of
the country by the wholesale use of
poison on predatory animals for the
benefit of special interests, in a scorch-
ing report made to the American Soci-
ETY. Of Mammalogists by its special COM
mittee appointed to investigate the work
Of the Government agents. The society
Is composed of some Of the country's
foremost biologists.
The report was presented to the
society at its annual meeting in Phil
adelphia last May and the full text Of
one Of the most scathing attacks yet
made on q Government bureau by o
national scientific organization has just
been made public in the August issue
of the society's official journal, upon
whose board are several Agriculture De-
partment scientists.
Shortly after the society's meeting,
Paul G. Redington, chief of the Bio
logical Survey, issued an answer meet
ing the charges.
The survey is called upon by the man.
nnalogists ito show full and adequate
cause for becoming the most destructive
organized agency which has ever men
aced so many species OF our native
fauna" The committee asserts the
claim Of the great nature-loving public
to a voice in the administration of our
wild life resources and challenges the
right of Federal organization to con-
slider only the interests of a very small
minority-the live stock interests"
Crisis Seen by Scientists.
The work Of the committee, which
involved inspection of conditions over
approximately $4,000 miles in nine
States, was financed by such organiza-
lions as the American Museum OF Nat
ural History, New York; the California
Fish and Game Commission, the Cali
fornia Museum of Vertebrate Zoology,
the University of Arizona and the New
York Geological Society. Financial
support also was given by various raw
fur dealers, who find their supplies
being diminished by the Government
policy.
Ample data are at hand to justify
the assumption that crisis confronts
our native mammals" the report says,
urging that far more facts should De
known about conditions before any defl-
mite policy Is decided on.
THE gathering Of these facts should
be the duty Of the Biological Survey,
1t continues THE survey should cur
tail the destruction Of wild life wherever
possible until such facts are assembled
The theory of control as formulated in
washington is often quite distinct from
the facts Of control as practiced in the
field.
"The survey is deliberately educating
the public to seek the destruction OF
certain species Of mammals and Is ac-
lively disseminating propaganda which
tends to create demand for control
where none existed formerly. It is not
a passive agent Of destruction, but is
seeking to expand along lines Of its
present-day policy.
wide Opposition Reported.
"a majority Of the people of the
United States who are informed on the
subject are not in favor Of the present
policy Of predatory mammal control.
Even in the West. the studies Of this
committee show, great numbers Of citi-
zens are opposed to it. The vociferous
supporters of this policy are a small but
active minority who are interested only
in securing the maximum return from
their investment in live stock
There Is a rising tide Of protest
throughout the entire country against
the destructive activities Of the survey
and institution after institution Is going
on record against the continuance OF
such practices. Claims for destruction
of game and live stock by predatory
mammals are based too much upon
ns,tl S4r1 =
sources. Incontestible facts should be
made known to the public.
VERY often destruction Of live stock
can be traced to individual predators
and when that individual Is destroyed
the destruction ceases. This fact Is
brought out time and time again and
admitted by the survey predatory
leaders. but they continue to condemn
the innocent with the guilty and carry
control measures beyond the point JUS
titled.
"Shiftlessness of herders results In
losses which could easily be avoided and
strays are charged UP to the coyotes. 1t
has been demonstrated by many compe-
survey employ, that more coyotes can
be taken by traps than by poison, al
though perhaps at greater expense.
Trapping can be made more selective
than poison. There is little trustworthy
data upon the fun number Of mammals
killed by poison bats. Many survey
prisoners visit stations so infrequentiy,
often not at all, that survey statistics on
this point are valueless.
Good Example Urged.
1.-THE use of poison in the field should
be discouraged regardless of who en-
ployS 1t. The fur trade has assured
your chairman, through one of its
spokesman, that 1t will attempt to make
it unpopular with the trappers, but the
survey must set a good example.
Cooperation between the survey and
the society will produce no tangible re-
suit so long as the survey manifests
such an interest in intensifying its pres
ent policy of predatory control
Far from indicating a desire to cut
down on poisoning until in possession of
SUFFICIENT facts to meet all criticism, the
survey has shown that in the future the
use of poison is to be increased. The
fur trade, from trapper to dealer, is
against this policy and be-
lieves the very existence of the domestic
fur trade is threatened. The dollar. value
of mammals destroyed by poison may
equal or even exceed, the sums saved
TO special interests.
The executive officers of the survey
have brought about q crisis confronting
our wild life and are more directly
responsible for it than any other agency.
The society need feel no necessity for
digging out those facts which the survey
Ghollid seek for itself, but by every
dictate Of logic and common sense it
can call upon the survey to show full
and adequate cause for becoming the
most destructive organized agency which
has ever menaced so many species of
our native fauna.
The society strongly urges the Bio
logical Survey to cuTtail the use of
poison as a control measure against
predatory animals, with view of COM
plete suspension as soon as it Is reason
ably possible. The society deplores the
of the survey which Is de-
sianed TO hlacken uraduly the character