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WAL-MART KILLS WILD BIRDS
When we first heard the shocking news that
Wal-Mart closed their store in Kingston, NY for one hour while
captured birds were shot with BB guns, we could hardly believe
it, but we investigated: Wildlife Watch spoke with Dave Eaton,
Regional Director, in Binghamton, NY whose area includes the
Kingston Wal-Mart. He said that the pest control companies they
use do what they need to do to rid the store of birds, and that
what they do is legal.
We pointed out that since the company was
hired by Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart was responsible for the fate of the
birds and needed to give directives to the pest-control company
about how the captured birds are to be treated.
He continued to repeat the mantra that
Wal-Mart’s responsibility is to remove birds and rodents from
the store, and that whatever the hired pest control company did
was legal. He wouldn’t say what they did, and wouldn’t give the
name of the pest control company they use.
This morning, we checked on what is legal
for these companies to do. We spoke to Paul Stringer of the
Special Licensing Unit of the DEC, Joanne Dyer, Depredation
Permit Examiner, of the FWS in Hadley, MA, and Stacy Preusser,
Wildlife Specialist of the USDA.
Here’s what they said:
Starlings, sparrows, and pigeons, are
“unprotected” species. Other species of birds that get into
stores are “protected. “
The only legal difficulty for a store like
Wal-Mart or Hannaford is that sometimes protected birds are
caught in the nets or just fly around the store. In the
instance that was reported, we don’t know if the birds were
protected, but read on because it really doesn’t matter….
If protected birds are captured, the USDA
requires that Form 37 be filled out by the store, then the USDA
makes a recommendation to the FWS to issue a federal
permit for the removal of the birds. So even “protected” birds
can have their protection rescinded if it’s expedient to do so.
Killing the birds can legally be done in
any fashion, though the USDA issues suggestions for what they
consider to be humane “euthanasia” : CO2 or “cervical
dislocation,” known in common parlance as “breaking their
necks” http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/oie/downloads/tahc-guide-kill-ans-dis-con-76-sep07_cmt.pdf
are just two recommendations made by the USDA.
She said they can use pellet or BB guns
though she didn’t think it could be done in the store. The DEC
said it would have to be done when no one was in the store. So
if they did shoot them with BB guns, they would have cleared the
store as was reported.
However, it makes no business sense as
Wal-Mart would have lost one hour of business, which could yield
hundreds of thousands of dollars. – We think that’s a point that
can be made to Wal-Mart management to prevent them from closing
the store to shoot birds in the future. That will not stop the
birds from being killed in other ways, however.
Wal-Mart must start working with humane
contractors who use non-lethal methods, but PREVENTION
must be implemented.
Wal-Mart is responsive to public pressure
as most of the stores in Dave Eaton’s region no longer sell
firearms (according to him) but Kingston isn’t one of them.
Dave Eaton can be reached at:
607-798-1011. Ask Wal-Mart to stop killing birds and mammals.
Ask them to use
companies that use devices to prevent birds and mammals
from entering the store and
use only non-lethal techniques for removal.
Please sign our
petition. We will be letting Wal-Mart know your
feelings.
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