Green Options

A confirmed outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in South Korea, has prompted officials to quarantine and slaughter animals to control the spread of the highly contagious viral disease.

For the first time in decades, a controversial wolf hunt is underway in Sweden.  The Swedish Environment Protection Agency approved the limited cull of 27 wolves, or about 10 percent of the Swedish wolf population.  In October, the Swedish parliament voted to limit the wolf population to 210 animals for the next five years.

The Fur Seal - victim of possibly the most emotive culling.

A recent post on the culling of rabbits on Robin Island, prompted a quick look at news items on culling over the last month. This revealed a variety of motivations for culling, very different numbers culled and a range in the opposition to the culls. The culling of a quarter of a million dairy cows in an attempt to raise milk prices with almost no protest is the outlier in the group.

40,000 Domestic Goats and Sheep in Netherlands

The Dutch government is culling 40,000 goats and sheep this month in an attempt to limit the spread of Q fever, an animal-borne disease that can cause flu-like symptoms in people. It is believed that Q fever has caused six human deaths in the Netherlands in 2009.

A flock of approximately 80 peacocks and peahens are wreaking havoc in the Florida community of Longboat Key.   Residents of the island community are fed up with peafowl that roam freely in yards, streets and neighborhoods. 

Drastic measures are underway in the Netherlands in order to prevent the spread of Q fever to humans.  Thousands of goats and sheep at infected farms in the country will soon be slaughtered.

In June, the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment reported an outbreak of Q fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The disease has spread to one-third of the country.  More than 2,200 people in the Netherlands have contracted the disease so far this year.  In 2007, less than 200 cases were reported. 

While 58 wolves have already been killed since Saturday, there’s hope that Alaska’s Department of Fish & Game will not reach their enormous quota. Defenders of Wildlife has taken legal action that could stop the hunt immediately.

“The Board of Game did not authorize the use of helicopters by state agency personnel as part of the Upper Yukon/Tanana wolf killing program,” said Wade Willis, Alaska Representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “What they are doing in that region right now is illegal.”

Alaska abruptly resumed shooting wolves from helicopters this weekend in hopes that shooting the wolves will increase the population of caribou for hunters to kill. The state plans to kill up to 328 wolves, sparing under 100 in the Yukon area.

Not everyone in Alaska is gung-ho about the plan. The National Park Service has been collaring wolves for a two-decade-long study tracking predator-prey relationships, and now many of those wolves are bound to turn up dead.

>>UPDATE: Defenders of Wildlife has taken legal action to stop the hunt.