Shooting wildlife from aircraft, a cruel practice called “aerial gunning,” isn’t just Alaska’s problem.

It happens in every state on our national forests and other public lands. Aerial gunners kill native carnivores such as wolves, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions each day – and many of these sharpshooters wear the badge of the federal government.

Additionally, federal agents liberally plant dangerous toxicants like sodium cyanide on public lands.  M-44 booby traps lure in native carnivores, endangered species, pets, and even unsuspecting people.

The killing must stop.

A branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), ironically called “Wildlife Services,” commits these terrible acts in misguided pursuits—purportedly to benefit agribusiness or to bolster the deer and elk hunting business for state agencies. But biological evidence shows that carnivore killing is a woefully ineffective way to reduce livestock losses, and it rarely helps deer and elk populations.

No one’s watching Wildlife Services — but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ought to be – because the Secretary of the Interior’s job is to protect wildlife, not destroy it. To make matters worse, Wildlife Services is funded with our tax dollars – over $120 million last year alone!

Sign this petition urging your elected officials to permanently end aerial shooting.