Griffith Park Blog » Creatures

Bad restaurants and bad foodies.

Donna Barstow — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:02:05 +0000

Zocalo recently posted a chat in the weekly updates and announcements they send out, called What is the Cruelest Food You’ve Ever Eaten?

I haven’t been to Zocalo in a couple of years, but they do have some good events and free food, (which isn’t cruel at all). Their lectures are free, and they tackle a lot of serious and interesting topics.

But WTF? Is cruelty a viable subject for humor now? – desperate and fame-whorish, Zocalo. You had an opportunity to explore this disgusting practice, or at least look at both sides, but instead you treat cruelty to animals as a game, or entertainment. Why not ask who eats dogs? Or hobbles horses? Shame on you, Zocalo.

Of course, there’s always cruelty when you eat animals alive, which seems to be a big part of sushi now. Raw is unhealthy, and alive is repulsive to civilized people. But read the quotes below and decide for yourself .

From Roy Choi at Kogi:

I’ve killed a goat with my own two hands. I chased him around a dirt field in the desert, wrestled him to the ground, got him in a head lock, looked him in the eye, and slit his throat. We hung him, skinned him, drained his blood, gutted him, butchered him into primals, then sub-primals. We packed him up and took him across the border to Mexicali where we made birria, the most delicious birria.

This was not a cruel moment for me. It was seven in the morning and I learned about the spirituality of cooking and what my responsibility is as a chef. I did not kill this goat out of haste or carelessness. This was a tradition that my dishwasher Salvador’s family has been doing for many generations and he trusted me enough to show me.

First of all, he’s lying. No one could capture a terrified goat without help. He’s pretending it’s some sort of macho thing, but notice the “we”. And a dishwasher thinks that how to knife a creature is a “tradition”? I hope I never meet him in a dark alley. Barbaric.

You should probably read Dr. Suess to get this one. Here's a Chinese restaurant that doesn't torture anyone.

From Charlie Grosso:

It was not until I was much older that I realized that Shark Fin is not a euphemism for anything. Shark fin actually is the fin of a shark. Then at some cousin’s wedding banquet one day, I discovered that the sharks are often caught, their fins cut off, and then released back into the water to meet their untimely ends.

Would I eat it again? I think I would. Not because I have no compassion for the shark but because not consuming my bowl of soup in a banquette of a hundred would not have stirred the consciences of the restaurant or the other guests. The only conscience that would be disturbed by my meager objection would be my own — at the fact that I wasted good, clean, edible food.

Yeah, that’s how I make my moral decisions: How many other people around me agree with me? What a jackass.

Javier Cabrol is the Teenage Glutster.

Which brings me to what I think is the most inhumane thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire eating career: live lobster sashimi. This dish made full use of those murky lobster tanks that are synonymous with seafood Chinese restaurants. The chosen lobsters were brought to our table for our approval, taken to the back of the house for five minutes at most, then brought back to the table, severed in half and facing each other. Not to mention still pinching with all their translucent flesh scooped out and served on their dislocated tails, all ready for our top-of-the-food-chain chow down. Their beady eyes followed our chopstick ends and they attempted to defend themselves one last time as we nonchalantly reached over for their ultra-fresh sinewy flesh.

My heart pounded and I got tears in my eyes when I read this. This is almost exactly how Hannibal ends. I see no difference between torturing cats, burning insects, killing people, and eating animals while they are still alive.

From Kat Odell at Eater LA.

Since I eat out so frequently for work, I eat a lot of foie gras and I do have to say I love it. There are more humane ways to produce foie that have been mostly explored in France, and it’s a shame that people in the U.S. don’t consider this alternative method (save for Dan Barber at Blue Hill).

Most people know that foie gras comes from geese that have force-fed. You know that pain when you eat too much? Think of your whole life in pain, with food clogging your throat all day long, not allowed to move -total torture. According to Wiki, only 5 countries left in Europe still allow this animal cruelty. Oh, and the gluttonous US, of course.

From Maite Gomez-Rejon at ARtbites.

The cruelest food I’ve ever eaten is live lobster at Sanuki No Sato, housed in an obscure strip mall in Gardena….Always game for trying new foods — especially those that will give me a good story to tell — I was anxious for our lobster’s arrival. When it came to the table it was enormously regal, its eyes staring straight at us, antennas moving as if pleading for help, its now useless armor cut open revealing perfectly sliced flesh.

Um, Maite, that was a terrible story, so, sorry, you will continue to be a bore wherever you go.

See a trend here? Sushi restaurants have been promoting this myth for years: torturing the creature makes it taste better. FDA and USDA, why can’t you crack down on this instead of your asinine regulations on the tiny stuff?

And who’s behind Zocalo?

Gregory Rodriguez, Founder

Thomas Tseng, President of the Board

Swati Pandey, Editor

They are responsible for glorifying this reprehensible topic – and making animal cruelty – their own word – an acceptable, even attractive trait for people who like to eat. They have a Code of Civility posted on their site:

At its lecture series events (”Events”) Zócalo seeks to create an open and civil environment of mutual respect, where all participants can feel welcome.

There is no respect towards other species, when you pick a topic targeting living creatures. I hope the agencies that fund this org will take a closer look at these practices and reconsider whether this non-profit (if it is one) meets anyone’s decency standards. Zocalo FAIL.

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Sushi restaurant in Los Angeles serves whale meat and horse meat. Euwww!

Donna Barstow — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:03:48 +0000

Found on CNN:

Prosecutors charged Typhoon Restaurant Inc., the parent company of Santa Monica’s The Hump, and chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, 45, with the illegal sale of a marine mammal product for an unauthorized purpose.

Although it is considered a delicacy in Japan and some other countries, meat from whales — an endangered species — is illegal to consume in the United States.

The restaurant pledged to set up procedures to ensure that it complies with laws and “becomes a good corporate citizen.”

“We sincerely apologize. We pledge to work hard to re-earn the trust of the public and respect of our customers.”

The investigation into the restaurant began in October, when two members of the team that made the documentary “The Cove” visited The Hump, officials said.

…A receipt from the restaurant at the end of the meal identified their selection as “whale” and “horse” with the cost — $85 — written next to them.

[Side Note.] Have you noticed the trend the last couple of years to write each sentence as a separate paragraph online now? All the big news sources do it – it’s part of the copywriter rules for teh LA Times!

Anyway, any restaurant that serves horse meat – with all the stolen and butchered horses in various states, especially Florida – should be shut down. I actually joined that famous food blog, Chowhound, just to ask a question about horse meat and which country does eat the most, because they are the ones forming a black market for the horse killings here in the US, and for all the horses shipped down to Mexico for slaughter. I guess now we know: it’s Japan, at least some of whom have so little self-esteem that they have to eat illegal and raw animals to feel like they are truly human.

For Typhoon Restaurant, a big fat #typhoon FAIL.

Interesting horse sculpture photo by Dan Shouse.

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Mountain Lion sighting in Griffith Park.

Donna Barstow — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:01:16 +0000

Got an interesting comment today to a post I made on mountain lions 2 years ago:

A good friend (we’re both ultra runners) spotted a mtn lion at the hub (5-way) junction up above the east side of the park in ‘09. I’m emailing him to get more information.

I run at least 60 miles a week on the fireroads and trails in the park and have for years, but I’ve never seen a lion, heck I saw my first bobcat only last week.

– Dan

Last time I talked with Animal Services, back in September, one of the guys mentioned a mountain lion, but I ignored it, because sightings like this are pretty iffy, and I’ve never heard a valid report from the rangers. I was running alongside Silver Lake reservoir one night, and a guy stopped his car and waved to me. UH OH! I reluctantly stopped, but he just wanted to warn me that there was a bobcat on the barbed wire fence that surrounds the reservoir. Well, um, I don’t think so! I’ve seen several raccoons up on that barbed wire. Ouch, with their long fur! And they do look a little mean! But never a bobcat.

If someone has a picture or proof, feel free to prove me wrong. I would love for there to be more wildlife inside the Silver Lake reservoir, since the LADWP ruined it, by keeping it empty for 4 months, and then taking away half of the Meadows. (And thanks to Labonge and Garcetti! Spread the bad vibe!)

Dan may very well have seen one in the Park, however.

Photo by permission from flickr.

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Mike McBride kills a pig.

Donna Barstow — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:49:43 +0000

Mike McBride kills a boar. Well, he didn’t do the actual knifing, or shooting, of course, but he likes to take all the credit at California Fish and Game, the biggest killing operation in California. In fact, he likes to claim all the animals Fish and Game kills each year. National Guard, take note of your competition!

From the LA Times:

A wild boar that reportedly chased people and smashed into a wrought-iron fence in Loma Linda on Wednesday was captured and will have to be euthanized, officials said.

The boar was spotted roaming a residential neighborhood about 8 a.m. and was finally corralled and sedated by animal control officers, who summoned state Department of Fish and Game officials.

McBride said his agency was told by local authorities that the boar had chased people. The animal, described as dark with a long snout, also charged into a wrought-iron fence and damaged it, he said.

There’s no report online that says the boar charged anyone. I’ll bet $100 he made this up. And with no other source, this “charging”, as if he was a pride of lions, is getting quoted everywhere! Plus, who cares? A dog will “charge” someone who comes too close, too. Maybe Mike should stay away from any animals…

From the Press-Enterprise:

“It charged a wrought-iron gate and did damage. It’s 200 pounds of muscle,” said Mike McBride, an assistant chief with Fish and Game.

It was the animal’s behavior, however, that sealed its fate, he said.

“If it wakes up, how do you control it?” McBride wondered.

What the hell, animals aren’t supposed to have muscle? Apparently, McBride believes that wild animals should be weak and fat, and carry guns. I’m just not sure whether Mike is trying to terrify the public, or….whether he feels a little deficient in the you-know-what category, and has to maximize the ferocity of the animals he kills. Since the only thing the animal did was ram a gate, WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO KILL HIM, WHICH THEY DID.

And Mike prefers his animals tranquilized, asleep, or preferably dead. If you can’t control wild animals – and apparently Fish and Game can’t, only kill them – let’s give the job to someone who knows how to load the tranquilized, helpless animal on the truck, take it to a forest, and let it walk out of the truck. It’s not rocket science. Apparently, you prefer to load corpses on the truck.

No matter how much McBride crows about how many animals his department has killed, it’s not actually Fish and Game that does the deed: they get permission from Mommy, the USDA, which sends hunters. Here is a report on how many animals they killed in California in 2007 alone: 64,293. Let me repeat that: the agency that claims to protect the state and our natural state and our wildlife killed 64,293 animals and birds in one year. They call this “Wildlife Services.”

Hey, the 2008 reports are up now! Here’s the main page, where you can see how many animals they kill every year, in each state. Not for disease. Not because the animals were suffering. No, every single animal is killed because a farmer or civilian complained. Oddly, although the reports are separated by animal, no wild pigs or boars are listed killed in California. Do they have a different name, or did Mike want to start a new category for pigs?

In 2008 they killed…wait for it…79,751 animals in California alone. Add 291,406 animals and birds they have “dispersed” in this state, either by gun or pyrotechnics, whatever that means, some of which presumably died, due to loss of habitat, food, shock, etc.

The USDA killed over 15,000 more animals this year than last. Uptick in animal bad behavior, I guess. What do you think could be causing it, gangs? The USDA did free some animals (from the traps they set to kill all the others): 1,082 were let go. Less than 2%. Hallelujah.

Scott C’s comment on CBS:

Firstly I’d like to know why I can’t read the other comments due to the Sempre Energy ad box and the news sidebars – why are these not shuffled out of the reader’s view? Anyways, I JUST SAW THIS STORY AND AM FURIOUS!! Why in the @!$# does Animal Control/Services, Wildlife Services and the ilk, which are all funded by our taxpayer dollars, feel the need to kill wildlife? There was NO REASON that the wild boar could not be released back into the wild, except for the ineptitude and laziness of those that feed the catch-poles to the I.E. shelters. It’s so much easier just to “put them down” (i.e. slaughter) than to drive them out to where they came from. The last bastions of nature which we call National Forests and Parks, etc. All for ramming a few pieces of outdoor patio furniture, how thoughtful. To all involved, shame on you and may your next hike be met with Mother Nature’s finest.

Hivehand comments:

Just saw this on the news and was wondering why this animal will be euthanized? Did it have rabies?

No, but wouldn’t that be a great excuse for California Fish and Game, hivehand! The LA County Health Department said there hasn’t been any animal with rabies for over 10 years.

Oh, and the Loma Linda animal services are totally wussy.

Photo of dangerous boar from KNX.

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Too many big animals died in the Angeles Station Fire.

Donna Barstow — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:42:25 +0000

I was very sad about the 2nd column I wrote for the LA Weekly about animals killed in the horrific Angeles Station Fire. (I mean, the topic: the column itself came out fine.)

bobcat, Marin County, by ehoyer, link at bottom

The L.A. Times wrote that a huge number of big animals had died in the fire. I was going to call about this anyway, but the Weekly gave me the excuse I needed. I spoke with Kevin Cooper, a biologist with the US Forest Service, who was also mentioned in the Times article, briefly.

Since my first post in my Griffith Park blog, a Google keyword phrase that people have been using to find my Griffith Park-oriented blog is, “how many animals were killed in the fire?”

A USFS team spent two weeks in the Station Fire area examining its effects but wasn’t focused on evidence of animal deaths. However, when they stopped the vehicles, Cooper and others came upon three three bears, 12 deer, two coyotes, one bobcat and a fox. (The Times said they found mountain lions, but this is not correct.)

“Normally, we rarely see big mammals like this after a fire, because they’re able to outrun it. In my 20 years of experience, this is one of the worst,” says Cooper.

Mr. Cooper told me that of course there were many more animals killed than the few they spotted. The only ones he kept track of were those seen when they stopped the truck, or came across them in their survey. Here’s the part that sent chills up my spine:

He believes that because this fire often ran uphill in very steep terrain the animals just couldn’t outrun it. Fire moves uphill 16 times faster than it moves in flatter terrain, so even very fleet animals were overtaken. Also, the brush was incredibly thick there, and bigger animals got caught in it, or couldn’t run through it.

This is why I started this blog. This is why I continue it. Thanks to Mr. Cooper for the information, and to Jill Stewart and the LA Weekly team for allowing me to write about it. Go read the rest of the story there.

Photo thanks to ehoyer at flickr.

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Coyote Killings Part 2

Donna Barstow — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:16:07 +0000

I think I have the answer. Animal Services of Los Angeles did it.

Taken in Alamo CA by John-Morgan.

The Times says (my bolds):

“When he woke up, the coyote was sitting there,” said Capt. Wendell Bowers of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. “Coyotes nip at each other when they want to be fed. This one was waiting for something to eat. It wasn’t trying to eat the man’s foot. It nipped at him.”

Bowers said there was no reliable information about a coyote attack last month that reportedly involved someone who was in the park after closing time.

Officer Gregory Randall, the department’s wildlife specialist, said the city’s procedure is to notify the California Department of Fish and Game after such encounters.

That agency, in turn, called the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provided hunters.

First I called Chief Ranger Albert Torres, who I know fairly well, but he said he was “not allowed” to talk with anyone about the coyotes, and that Fish & Game were the “lead people.” He also said I might want to call Animal Services. Officer Randall never called me back, but I did get to talk with Captain Bowers, before I saw this article. He basically said the same things that are in the article – that both incidents were very minor.

I also called Senior Officer Mike McBride of Fish & Game. I’ve never been interrupted so often, shouted down, threatened (to hang up), and refused any information about a PR person before. F&G, someone there needs some sensitivity training! He said he had the medical reports, but “not at his desk.” He said the 2nd bite was so minor it was only a scratch and a small bruise – a bite wasn’t mentioned. He said the other report was also a nibble at a foot, at 5 pm a couple weeks before. (Someone from the city who wished to remain nameless said that the reason the first man didn’t report it is because…he works for the city and was goofing off, sleeping. )

When I asked McBride who here in LA actually reported it, he kept saying to blame him, that he took full responsibility. He said it was a 2 night “operation”, and 9 coyotes were killed, not 7.

He also said “it doesn’t matter what happened, whether they were bitten or not. It’s not normal for a coyote to go nearer to any human than 30 feet away.”

Thank you for that ridiculous piece of misinformation, Mr. McBride. Maybe you should come to SoCal sometime.

The real PR person for F&G never called back. Also spoke with Dr. Karen Ehnert, DVM, from the LA County Health Dept. who said it would be very very rare for any animal in Socal to have rabies. None for 10 years now. Just bats. :(

She said it certainly was not the Health Dept. who called Fish & Game. “Why would we ask them to kill animals? That would be useless, since we have no idea which coyote it was. “ Indeed. She said they report any animal bite to Animal Services.

I also talked with Larry Hawkins, from the USDA in Sacramento. He mentioned the state laws on killing coyotes that I linked to in my last post. He said they weren’t trapped, they were shot. 6 males and one female were shot Thursday. I assume the USDA is like most of the government, and believes in getting their money’s worth. I mean, they paid for the men to come down here, for their hotel. Why not make it 2 nights of killing, instead of one? And so 2 more were shot Friday. (for good measure.) They could have been shot with spotlights or infrared, he wasn’t sure.

When I ran regularly in the park, I thought there was a coyote den nearby, because every evening as it got darker they would magically appear next to the trail I ran on. They were never aggressive, and hung their heads if I looked at them. They moved out of the way for me. Still, I had read that a good thing is to have a little mint box with coins to shake if they got close. I was not going to run with that jangly thing, but I shook my keys a few times. No problem.

After one of those torrential rainstorms one winter – remember those? -the den actually got washed away on the top, so I could see the spaces where they slept. Tiny, like big enough for a large cat, 5 little cubby holes leading out from the main tunnel. And less than a yard from the trail. I can just imagine last week, when the USDA killers shot the dogs. There were at least 2 men. Was it a game? Who could bag the most? I assume they enjoy their work. What kind of howls went up from the coyotes left in the pack when they saw their family die, and smelled them, and heard the deadly crack? What was that night like for them, the family gone?And they themselves would die the next night.

If there are 50 coyotes in the Park, as Mr. Hawkins guessed, that’s 20% of our population gone. He told me they eat mostly rodents, as I had read, and also fruit and roadkill. They are the only predator in Griffith Park. (Although no one was able to tell me why our deer population never grows bigger, like back east, where deer are a big problem).

Someone in the Griffith Park Neighborhood Council sent me an email that someone sent to the media. Don’t know who this is, but the details are all right. I bolded the parts I think are important.

9 coyotes were killed by USDA officers 2 nights ago in Griffith Park because a man who was napping in an area where coyotes have been *fed by people on a regular basis ( *illegal activity as indicated by the signs in the area ) , was nipped on the foot by one.
This was not an attack. This was a demand by the coyote who is used to being fed by humans,to be fed. It is a natural behaviour of coyotes used to people feeding it and is often experienced by people who have cats.

The same incident involving a man sleeping in Griffith Park and getting nipped by a coyote, happened 2 weeks ago. That man went to the hospital, and nothing was reported.

2 days ago, another man had the same occurance. Sleeping and getting nipped on the foot. The coyote, after letting him know he was hungry, sat down away from him and waited to be fed.
This man however contacted LAAS wildlife Officers and complained. The officer was imposed by law to contact higher authorities which in this case was the USDA.

USDA officers responded by going to Griffith Park in the evening, setting up bait, and killing 9 coyotes as they came to eat. So much for all the knowledge we have of coyotes and nature. A paint ball in the side would have occomplished more, and no blood would
have been shed.

What an excellent suggestion. Scare them, not KILL them.

For prevention, everyone said not to feed them. Obviously true. However, no one brought up, except Dr. Ehnert, what I’ve complained about for years – either cover the trash cans, like in national parks, or EMPTY them. The picnic area after every weekend is DISGUSTING. The people there must have been brought up to be pigs. Every possible bag, bone, plastic trays, all so gross.

Many people have asked who to complain to. This started with Animal Services. Period. Bok is gone, so Kathleen Davis is current General Manager.

You might also have been disturbed to read about the 64,000 animals the USDA kills EVERY year in California alone. It’s almost too much to imagine. I’ll link to them below, too.

Last…we have an LA Times opinion which is generic and uninformed. Karin Kline’s info is copied from other articles. Her Opinion? Be rude to the coyotes. This nonsense is unacceptable in the most important paper on the west coast.

So: So, LA County Health Dept reported it to Animal Services. They made the call to ask Fish & Game to kill the coyotes. F&G called USDA to pay the killers, who spent 2 nights making a sport of it. Animal Services did a bad, bad thing.

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/ / CC BY 2.0">John-Morgan.

GP Rangers

Calif Fish & Game and good phone: 916 654 3821

USDA

USDA local killers

Animal Services Call 213-482-9558 to get a real answer and the email. Ask for Kathleen Davis.

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I’ve forgotten, which fire are we in now?

Donna Barstow — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:38:11 +0000

More importantly, who set the Station Fire? If you tell me, I’ll share the $150,000 reward with you, 50- 50.

It’s unbelievable, this wretched fire is still burning in places, several weeks later. KHTS:

The Station Fire is 94 percent contained, with full containment now expected September 22. So far, the incident has consumed 160,557 acres of the Angeles National Forest which has not seen major fire activity in more than 40 years. It is the largest fire in the recorded history of Los Angeles County and the 10th largest in California history.

As it turns out, my cartoon below I did for Slate is right; there was an arsonist, although I have much stronger words for him than crazy. They’ve established that it’s arson – caused by “some substance” – and it’s homicide, since 2 firefighters died. (also, at least thousands of animals, birds, reptiles and trees – DB)

I was really happy that Daily News ran this cartoon the week of the fire. I felt like I was part of Los Angeles, and like it was something I could do to contribute towards awareness of this terrible tragedy.

LA Observed reported that San Fran wasn’t willing to help us out with the Station Fire. But FINALLY -okay, I won’t ask why it took them so long – good old neighbor to the North Canada sent us 2 Super Scoopers! . :( Best part? We get to keep the SuperScoopers til December!

Because I wanted to draw the fawn correctly, and don’t have any in my back yard – I wanted it vulnerable, yet real – I looked up photos and for some strange reason, found several of fawns with horses! I could not believe how beautiful, cute, and squee-worthy these were! Aahhh…!

More photos like this at gentlehorses.com.

And the animalliberationfront includes a story of how they saved this fawn from some coyotes!! Amazing!

Cartoon Caption: Smokey the Bear asks, Can YOU prevent forest fires? Government bailouts? US Forest Service? Local Fire Depts? Crazy arsonists? Careless smokers?

I know, government bailouts don’t seem to fit in with the rest, but the money the state got SHOULD have been used for fire protection in this terrible fire-prone state.

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Random coyotes tortured and killed in Griffith Park.

Donna Barstow — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:56:57 +0000

Today I saw visitors come here looking for “coyotes killed in Griffith Park” and I knew my day was ruined, even with the start of Dancing with the Stars tonight.

From LA Unleashed, an LA Times blog:

Two recent incidents in which people were bitten by coyotes in Griffith Park have caused wardens to take an unfortunate step: dispatching U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife services trappers to kill some of the park’s coyotes.

The second bite happened Wednesday, when a man apparently napping near the park’s Travel Town section said he awoke to find a coyote biting his foot. He was not seriously injured, wildlife biologist Kevin Brennan of the Fish and Game department told The Times.

In response to the incidents, USDA trappers shot and killed seven of the park’s coyotes, owing to a policy that coyotes should be captured and killed only in the instance of an imminent threat to public safety.

(So if someone got a bug bite, they would kill all the bugs in the park?)

But, our colleague Tony Barboza notes in his article on the subject, authorities do not know if the coyote or coyotes that bit the two park visitors were among the seven killed.

LAist has some more details, or not:

Details regarding either incident, for example why a man was asleep in the park at night, or under what circumstances the August bite occurred, have been scant.

LA Now, yet another LA Times blog – I mean how can there be too many blogs – like, 30 and counting, for one paper? – says I’m not the only totally pissed off person at this news:

The howls echoing through Griffith Park today are coming from joggers, parents and nannies — not coyotes. Park visitors are angry with wildlife officials’ decision to trap and shoot coyotes in the 4,210-acre mountain park.

Last week an editor that I highly respect said that he had read my last post, about our lack of essential fire engines for wildfires in LA and LA County, and said he was so impressed by my research, that he thought it read like something in the New York Times! Wellll….! I know when I’m being flattered, because someone wants me at a good price! But you know, he’s right about the research. I do a ton of research on things I write about, and before I started my gig as cartoonist for Slate this year, I did a lot of work for this blog.

In May of 2008 I investigated the coyote shootings in Lake Arrowhead. Two small children got bitten, and one got “stalked.” In response to this, California Fish & Game killed 26 random, pointless coyotes. I know, because I talked to some of the killers.

Henry Morse, of Calif Fish & Game said that CF&G doesn’t have enough officers – only 200 in the state – to go after all the animals that “need” to be killed, so they make requests of the USDA Wildlife Services to get specialists to do the job. Even though state law requires killers to use padded leg-hold traps, and they’re usually not allowed to be used in any way, Mr. Morse said “we try.” Later he said, “the law doesn’t require that the trap has to be padded. An iron snare is okay, too.”

Here is a complete report on California laws and the Fish & Game approach to taking care of coyotes in Southern California, written by John Turman and 3 other USDA people. (I had a call in to Mr. Turman that he never returned.) Notice that it is called Wildlife Damage Management Conferences; I found out from Carol Bannerman, PR for the USDA in Maryland, that their title is Wildlife Services now, but 10 years ago it was Animal Damage Control. That is because the USDA was started not to PROTECT any wildlife, but to protect farmers and their precious crops from animals; the UDSA Mission Statement was, “to protect the American livestock industry.” Just in case you wonder exactly how powerful the meaty beef lobbyists are in this country.

In the report, it lists important laws in California regarding wildlife. The first one is a BAN ON LEGHOLD TRAPS. This is because these traps are horribly torturous for the animal, and trappers obviously don’t sit and watch the traps – they return when they feel like it. The animals suffer for hours or days, thirsty, starving, in unbearable pain. And for coyotes, it’s emotional fear and agony. This is why you occasionally see coyotes with 3 legs; in their fear and grief, they gnaw their own legs off to get away. I have personally seen several coyotes like this, both in Los Feliz and here in Silver Lake (both times within a mile or nearer to Griffith Park.)

Once I saw a coyote with only 2 legs. This was before I saw the Oprah show, where she loves to parade weirdos and freaks, and had a 2-legged dog on. The dog had 2 hind legs. The coyote I saw had one on either side, kitty-corner. I was so shocked and distressed that my heart started to pound, and I saw red spots – I had to fight not to faint. I just couldn’t believe he could live like that. He was in a group of 3 other coyotes; obviously his pack took care to share food with him, as he couldn’t have hunted well on his own.

Yet in spite of the law AGAINST leghold traps, that is exactly what they did to kill our 7 coyotes!!!! What happened after they suffered in the traps? Well, then they shoot them. Sometimes they use cyanide bullets. It takes the animals over 2 minutes to die. Cyanide is not allowed in prison executions because it is cruel and painful. Well, no one ever said USDA killers were good sports.

Other laws listed in the report say it’s illegal to feed coyotes, and or to relocate them. I have heard there are signs in Griffith Park not to feed them, but I have not seen them. I talked with one USDA killer, Ryan, who was killing in Lake Arrowhead, and he explained that coyotes would “starve or go nuts ” relocated into a forest, without sidewalks, or garbage, or digging in flower beds. So there’s your reason, right there, Ryan.

This is the 4th law:

Legal Status of Coyotes:
Chapter 6, Section 472 (a) in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) describes
coyotes as nongame mammals. As such, coyotes may be taken at any time of the year and in any
number, except as prohibited in Chapter 6.

No protection at all. Note the word, “taken.” Everyone I talked with used this word, instead of killed.

If you want to really make yourself sick, read this USDA report on how many animals were “taken” KILLED in California in 2007. These reports are hard to find on the website, but there is one for every state. It explains exactly how each animal was killed, because, after all, it’s a by the number government agency. Who knew 8000 red-winged blackbirds were that dangerous to the people of this state? 500 beavers were killed, over 2000 raccoons. Over 100 bears were bad bears. Even a parakeet was killed in a trap. I have a parakeet.

In total, the USDA and Fish & Game killed over 64,293 animals and birds in California in 2007. This brings tears to my eyes.

How come the LA Times or national magazines never report this? How much power is one government agency allowed to have?? Obviously, they have to kill, to justify even having an agency. The animals in California pay the price.

The asinine thing, of course, is that they don’t know which coyotes did what. Did someone really get bitten? Obviously it was a homeless man sleeping in the park, but it sounds like the coyote sniffed his filthy feet – they said no damage done! So…is this some “lesson” to the coyotes? I’ll tell you this – it lessens my respect for this city and its leaders, that anyone in their right mind thinks that killing 7 random coyotes is going to make ANYONE feel safer, when we hear about random vagrants sleeping in the grass of the park all night.

And I plan to find out who ordered these killings.

Or were you looking for one of these?