War on Wildlife Services: Monterey County
Animal Legal Defense Fund v Monterey County
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in state court challenging Monterey County, California’s contract renewal with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services.
Status
Next Step
Case Closed
In 2016, the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in state court challenging Monterey County, California’s contract renewal with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services — a controversial federal program whose main purpose is to kill animals. The program is estimated to have killed some 2.7 million animals in 2016, of which nearly 1.6 million were native species.
The lawsuit — filed with a coalition of animal and environmental protection groups and a Monterey County resident — argued that Monterey County’s renewal of the contract violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the county failed to analyze the environmental impacts of its agreement and wrongfully claimed an exemption from CEQA. Also, the county held no public hearings about a CEQA exemption claim, and did not disclose the details of its agreement with Wildlife Services.
The California Superior Court ruled in our favor in 2017, finding that Monterey County violated the CEQA by failing to perform an environmental analysis prior to re-contracting with Wildlife Services.
Actions
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End Wildlife Services’ War on Wildlife
Sign PetitionMillions of native wild animals, including coyotes, mountain lions, and bears, are targeted and killed by Wildlife Services. Tell Wildlife Services to stop using your tax dollars to slaughter animals by signing our petition.
Recent News
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Legal Petition Urges USDA to Adopt Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Wildlife Services Program
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, as part of a coalition, submitted a petition for rulemaking to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service urging Wildlife Services to phase out lethal control of wild animals, including prohibiting specific practices such as neck snares, M-44 cyanide bombs, lead bullets, and more.November 21, 2023 Press Release -
USDA Restricting Access to Plant-Based Milks in National School Lunch Program is Dietary Racism
Proposed rule would maintain an unnecessarily complicated and confusing process for children to get access to plant-based milkMay 11, 2023 Press Release -
Animal Legal Defense Fund Urges USDA to Strengthen Regulations for Handling and Exhibiting Wild and Exotic Animals
Recommendations aim to decrease risk of zoonotic disease spread, animal escapes and attacks, and psychological and physical harm to the animalsApril 11, 2023 Press Release
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Complaint to USDA submitted on February 27, 2024
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See MoreEnd Wildlife Services’ War on Wildlife
Millions of native wild animals, including coyotes, mountain lions, and bears, are targeted and killed by Wildlife Services. Tell Wildlife Services to stop using your tax dollars to slaughter animals by signing our petition.