The Department of Agriculture Killed 1.2 Million Wild Animals Last Year

https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-department-of-agriculture-killed-1-2-million-wild-a-1845304868

Among the animals the Wildlife Services program killed this year are 61,882 adult coyotes, plus an unknown number of coyote pups in 251 destroyed dens.
Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)

The mission of Wildlife Services, an office in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is “to provide federal leadership and expertise to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and wildlife to coexist.” In practice, that means slaughtering animals in droves.

New data the USDA released this week shows that in 2019, the program killed approximately 1.2 million animals native to North America. That includes hundreds of gray wolves, black bears, and bobcats, thousands of red foxes, tens of thousands of beavers, and hundreds of thousands of birds. Fewer than 3,000 of those animals were killed unintentionally.

Program employees are deployed to deal with dangerous feral hog populations and keep bird populations at airports under control so planes can safely takeoff and land. But the primary reason for the blood on Wildlife Services’ hands is their allegiance to the ranching industry, which relies on the service to clear out wild animals that prey on livestock and make way for industrial farming in states like Texas, Colorado and Idaho.

There is arguably no kind way to kill an animal, but some of the program’s methods are pretty brutal. Internal documents place focus on the use of “noise making devices,” “predator-proof fencing,” and other non-lethal methods. But a 2016 investigation by reporter Christopher Ketcham found that the agency used poisoned bait and spring-loaded cyanide traps to kill animals. It also uses leghold traps, which are banned in 88 countries.

Trappers with the service also use guns. A lot. An internal safety review document states that “employees fire tens of thousands of rounds while conducting wildlife damage management activities,” which it notes is more than any other federal or state agency except the military—more, even, than federal law agencies.

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Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said that this is largely unnecessary carnage because in most cases, killing predators is not a scientifically sound population control method.

“When coyote populations are exploited, the remaining individuals increase their reproduction by having a second litter that season or by increasing litter size,” she wrote in an email. “As such, killing coyotes only results in a temporary population decline followed by an increase and more conflicts.”

All of this killing also creates other ecological problems, throwing balanced ecosystems out of whack. “Many of the animals killed by Wildlife Services are ecologically important, including carnivores like wolves and mountain lions,” Adkins said. “Removing these top predators disrupts the ecosystem and can cause increases in their prey, such as rodents that damage crops and spread disease.”

The misguided approach to predators has been a hallmark of U.S. conservation policy, though it’s being challenged and overturned in some cases. Wolves, for example, were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, and scientists have observed numerous positive ecosystem benefits and attracted scores of tourists. Despite that, state governments have been hostile to wolves and locked in a tug-of-war over hunting them. And last year, Wildlife Services killed 302 gray wolves across the Rockies and Midwest.

In many cases, there are other, non-lethal methods the agency could use to avoid all of this killing, Adkins said. Livestock producers can protect their animals with guard dogs, fences, and by using scare tactics like flashing lights.

There is evidence that Wildlife Services is taking this into account due to public pressure. Killing 1.2 million animals is a lot, but it’s actually relatively low for the program’s annual death toll. Wildlife Services took the lives of 1.5 million, 2.7 million, and 3.2 million in 2018, 2017, and 2016 respectively. This tapering may be due in part to local and state government opposition. In recent years, states including California, Washington state, and Idaho have waged successful lawsuits against Wildlife Services, and some municipalities have reformed their contracts with the agency to prioritize nonlethal wildlife control methods.

“There has been more public attention to these practices and that may be part of the reason for the downward trend,” said Adkins. “We can’t know for sure, but it seems to be making some impact.”

But the U.S. could also simply stand to reduce its livestock production altogether, reducing the need for wildlife death squads in the first place. Scientists have long warned that raising animals is far more resource-intensive than vegetable and grain production, and therefore should be ramped down dramatically. The Wildlife Service’s new data provides even more reasons that we need to dramatically rethink how we produce food.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

October 9, 2020 at 07:36AM

Electric cars really do cost less to own than gas-powered vehicles, report says

https://www.engadget.com/electric-cars-cost-less-to-own-than-gas-vehicles-133913554.html

Electric car manufacturers have long claimed their vehicles are ultimately less expensive to own than their gas-powered counterparts, and it now looks like that wasn’t just classic marketing spin. Consumer Reports has published a study indicating that the most popular EVs are less expensive to own over their lifespans than the best gas cars in their respective classes. Among EVs under $50,000, you’d typically see costs drop between $6,000 to $10,000 versus a combustion engine car.

The Tesla Model 3 delivered the most value in CR’s findings. The entry-level luxury EV represented a $15,000 savings compared to not only the best-selling car in its class (the BMW 330i), but also the best-rated (the Audi A4). This was generally true across the board, including plug-in hybrids as well as estimates for upcoming vehicles like Ford’s Mustang Mach-E. The savings could be particularly large if you buy a used EV when it’s five to seven years old.

The savings on fuel unsurprisingly played a large role. CR determined that EV drivers spend about 60 percent less to keep their vehicles topped up, and owners whose cars have a range of 250 miles or more can handle 92 percent of their charging at home instead of public fast chargers. However, maintenance was also key — reliability reports suggested that EV owners were paying about half as much to maintain and repair their cars as people with gas vehicles. While repairs could go up (such as fresh batteries) if you buy a used EV, you still stand to reap a large chunk of the lifetime savings.

CR also found that depreciation was comparable to that for gas cars even after factoring in the incentives.

There are some caveats. The savings account for federal and state incentives. While federal tax credits no longer apply to brands like GM and Tesla, the value proposition clearly varies depending on how much your state is willing to offer. CR warned that weather and electricity rates could play a role. You might not see as many gains if you live in a cold state (and thus get less mileage on a charge) with high utility rates versus someone who can drive in warm weather year-round at low prices. States like Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, and Texas even slap fees on EVs.

Nonetheless, this suggests that you shouldn’t be put off by the higher up front prices of EVs, at least so long as incentives tip the balance. However, that still involves overcoming public perception — and that might not change until there are truly affordable EVs on the market, which might take a while.

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

October 9, 2020 at 08:48AM

Waymo opens driverless robo-taxi service to the public in Phoenix

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/10/09/waymo-resumes-robo-taxi-service-phoenix/


DETROIT — Waymo on Thursday relaunched and expanded its fully automated, robo-taxi ride hailing service in Phoenix, rebooting its effort to transform years of autonomous vehicle research into a revenue-producing business.

Waymo, the self-driving vehicle technology unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, said it will start offering rides in minivans with no human attendant on board to current members of its Waymo One service in Phoenix. Within a few weeks, Waymo plans to open access to anyone who downloads its smartphone app and wants a ride within a 50-square-mile area of Phoenix.

Waymo chief John Krafcik said during a conference call that the company for now will offer only rides in driverless cars. Within a few weeks, Waymo will relaunch service for a larger, 100-square-mile swath of the Phoenix area, using Pacifica minivans made by partner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Some of the Waymo vans in Phoenix will still have attendants on board.

Waymo has not said where or when it will expand its robo-taxi business beyond Phoenix. “You can imagine we’d love the opportunity to bring the Waymo One driver to our home state of California,” Krafcik said.

Before the coronavirus pandemic forced Waymo to suspend operations this spring, Waymo was using vehicles with no human attendant on board to provide 5 to 10 percent out of a total of 1,000 to 2,000 rides per week in its Phoenix service zone, Krafcik said. Rides in fully autonomous vehicles were limited to a small, selected group of Waymo customers.

Waymo’s move to expand service using vehicles with no attendant on board puts it ahead of rival robo-taxi companies in deploying a revenue generating service in the United States. Waymo earlier this year raised more than $3 billion, mostly from outside investors.

Cruise, majority controlled by General Motors, is testing vehicles in San Francisco, but has so far not offered rides to the public.

The pandemic has depressed demand for ride hailing services of all kinds. Waymo has stepped up attention to sanitation of its vehicles in response, Krafcik said. Waymo will monitor vans remotely, and employees will remind customers to keep masks on in the vehicles. Vehicles will be cleaned regularly under a maintenance and fleet management partnership with auto retailer AutoNation, Krafcik said.

Fiat Chrysler has engineered a system that can flush the air from a minivan after every ride, he said.

The field of companies trying to develop self-driving vehicles has been consolidating as technology and regulatory challenges pushed the prospects of significant revenue from carrying passengers further into the future. Waymo and other autonomous vehicle technology companies have put increased focus on automating commercial vehicles for goods delivery.

Waymo rival Zoox was acquired earlier this year by Amazon.com. Ride hailing company Uber Technologies was set back by a fatal accident involving one of its test vehicles.

Congress has failed to act on proposals to create standards and safety regulations the industry can rely on as a legal shield when deploying self-driving vehicles.

In Arizona, Waymo said it informs state officials ahead of any change in its service.

 

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October 9, 2020 at 08:10AM