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Wild Things – American Ranchers’ War on Wildlife and Native Predators

by Jennie Richards · Published April 26, 2020 · Updated July 26, 2021

Native carnivores bring balance to our natural environment, keep ecosystems healthy, and belong to our American landscape. But ranchers see them as a threat to their livestock, and for well over a hundred years ranchers and federal government trappers have slaughtered them in a battle against nature that has been brutal, cruel, ineffective and extremely costly to American taxpayers. America’s ranchers have had an all-out war on native carnivores in the U.S. and have all but exterminated these species including wolves, coyotes, mountain lions and other large carnivores and their newborn cubs.

Wild Things is the history and story of America’s war on native carnivores by livestock ranchers supported by the federal government’s rogue agency, Wildlife Services. Over many decades, government trappers in U.S.D.A.’s Wildlife Services program have killed millions upon millions of these majestic predators, almost always at the demand of the cattle and sheep ranching industry.

Wild Things also introduces audiences to a handful of new and progressive ranchers that are choosing to reject the savagery of the ranching industry, and are working instead to coexist with predator animals. In the film — scientists, conservationists and even former Wildlife Services trappers are interviewed, who believe it is time for a major change in the way we treat our magnificent native carnivores. Some ranchers are starting to use new technology, and are rediscovering old methods of animal husbandry to create a better future for livestock, wildlife and wilderness.

The message of Wild Things is that humans can and should coexist with native carnivores peacefully, and that ending ranchers’ war against them will help nature, ecosystems and wildlife finally prosper again.

Film Length: 39 Minutes

Film Premier: October 2012

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More About The Film

Learn more and take action at www.wildthingsmovie.org

How to get involved

Visit National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) about the film

Contact Passion River Films at [email protected], tel: 732.321.0711

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Wild Things – American Ranchers' War on Wildlife and Native Predators

Quotes from the Film

“These animals symbolize the American West – they define the landscape, they balance the ecosystems, and they keep the environment healthy. But cattle ranchers see them as a threat to livestock. So the federal government, acting on the behalf of cattle ranchers, have worked to virtually eradicate the wolf, coyote, bears, mountain lions, and nearly all predator animals. Does this battle between ranchers and predator animals really need to be fought? Or are there better ways to protect the interests of both and not destroy our wildlife?”

“White men in the American West’s early days put a massive dent in wildlife and predator animals by nearly wiping out all predators.

~ They shot coyotes by the hundreds of thousands.

~ Drove the iconic American bison to the door of extinction.

~ Established bounties on bears, coyotes and wolves.

~ When bounties were not enough, they brought in the federal government to finish the job off.”

“In 1905, the U.S. federal government developed a new service, later called WILDLIFE SERVICES Department under the USDA. It’s main goal, was to eradicate predator animals, especially the American Gray Wolf. Hunters and trappers hired by the federal government, armed with guns, poisons, snares, and clubs went out to kill every predator animal possible. They killed baby wolves inside wolf dens, they set predators on fire, they poisoned them, starved them, shot them to death—white men used every means possible to destroy these wild animals.”

“By the 1930s, magnificent wild animals including the Gray Wolf, vanished from the land. It was an after-thought, after they killed them all, that possibly these animals had a role to play on the land and in nature. Without all the predators, wildlife became very imbalanced. So 50 years later, finally in the 1980s, the federal government decided to bring some of these animals back. But the federal government’s WILDLIFE SERVICES still kills native carnivores at the demand of America’s ranchers and the livestock industry.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES sends its agents to shoot, trap, and poison over 100,000 native predator animals every year. This annual slaughter of American wildlife is funded by American tax-payers, and much of it occurs on public lands paid by American tax-payers that is used by ranchers to raise their cattle and sheep.”

“As long as WILDLIFE SERVICES is simply a phone call away from a disgruntled rancher, you will have a dead wolf or coyote.”

“Basically WILDLIFE SERVICES is the federal government’s extermination service. Supported by over 100 million dollars of tax payers money every year, to kill millions of animals in the U.S. for ranchers and their livestock.”

WILDLIFE SERVICES every year kills millions of animals throughout the U.S., but over 100,000 predator animals in the West every year, including:

83,195 Coyotes
402 Mountain Lions
574 Black Bears
536 Badgers
552 River Otters
365 Gray Wolves
4,590 Foxes
1,237 Bobcats
13,726 Raccoons

“But this is mostly entirely unnecessary, because non-lethal methods work very well, and are much healthier for the ecosystem, is more cost-effective, and doesn’t also kill non-target animal life.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES has killed a total 2.7 million animals of 319 species in 2014 alone, including nearly 62,000 coyotes, more than 300 mountain lions, and 580 black bears.”

“What ranchers and cattle/sheep farmers do is wipe out populations of predator animals just before they release the new young offspring to pasture. So they will hire WILDLIFE SERVICES to exterminate the entire area to “prevent” any calves or lambs being killed.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES will commonly use aerial gunning to kill coyotes, wolves, bears – all native predators. They shoot all the baby pups, and baby animals as well – gunning them down from their planes.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES shoots predator animals that are even on the Endangered Species List.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES also traps animals and does not visit the traps for sometimes one to two weeks, where the animal suffers horribly and languishes in the trap, often chewing off its own limbs, lying helpless in cold, freezing temperatures.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES also uses poisons and toxic chemicals on the land, and uses Cyanide bombs that explode in the animal’s face, including dogs and cats and people’s pets. Animals like Bald Eagles are getting poisoned, and non-target animals are dying. A terrible amount of innocent animals are killed because of them.”

“It’s important for the American tax-payer to know that we are funding these activities and services every single day of the year.”

“When WILDLIFE SERVICES kills all the adult predator animals, it is scientifically proven to be completely ridiculous because it just stimulates the successful birth of a higher number of pups born, so it actually increases the amount of predator animals. It has the opposite effect they are seeking.”

“One of the things I love about coyotes and wolves is their loyalty to the pack, they are monogamous, the male and female mate for life. The brutality and cruelty that is done to these animals by the federal government and by ranchers is so completely unnecessary.”

“Idaho cattle ranchers decided to eradicate the Gray Wolf that was re-introduced from Canada to Yellowstone National Park.”

“Large carnivores matter because everything is connected in our web of life. When you remove a species, you create an abundance of another species, that throws the entire environment out of balance. When ranchers destroy these top apex species then waterways die and become warm, fish die off, vegetation dies off, trees die, the surrounding ecosystem is dramatically impacted. But when you bring wolves back, you get lush vegetation, healthy streams and rivers, healthy fish stocks, healthy trees, all nature is positively affected.”

“Yellowstone is changing back to a more pristine state since the Gray Wolf has been re-introduced and they are creating a much healthier natural environment again.”

“Over the past 100 years, we have learned that “lethal control” by WILDLIFE SERVICES just doesn’t work. Over one billion dollars has been spent on supporting WILDLIFE SERVICES by American tax-payers.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES is ineffective, it’s inhumane and it’s expensive.”

“The private livestock industry gets a subsidy from U.S. tax-payers every single year to help them with their business, plus they get to use tax-paid public lands, and they zealously defend WILDLIFE SERVICES killing animals for their own benefit. So this agency is not accountable at all.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES needs far more transparency, the public is in the dark about their activities. There is no reason WILDLIFE SERVICES needs to behave this way.”

“WILDLIFE SERVICES should be teaching ranchers non-lethal methods to address conflicts, not destroying wildlife.”

“The top three things we do now, is pay more attention to where the wolves are, keeping mother cows and calves together and close, training them to stay together as a herd, and getting out with the cattle more. It’s more labor intensive, and most ranchers don’t like that.” (Rancher)

“’Predator Friendly’ is a certification that means we don’t shoot, trap or poison native carnivores that are in the vicinity of our livestock ranches. So we make hats, blankets, mittens, and other products to help educate consumers and producers about the risks and rewards about ranching that is ecologically responsible.”

“What kind of world do we want to live in? Can we afford to continue on the current path we are on? The answer is clearly no.”

“Do we want to live in a world that is just all about us? Us humans? To take over? Or do we share it? It involves mutual respect.”