Mary Cummins Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Advocates News Los Angeles California: April 2017

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Kaput hog poison withdrew application to poison in Texas - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

sid miller, wild boar hog pig, kaput, poison, warfarin, anti-coagulant, bait, mary cummins, animal advocates, wild boar meat, texas, kill, deer, vultures, cottontails, coyote,

Ever since we first heard about someone wanting to kill wild boar with anti-coagulant bait we stepped in to help shut this down. I'm very happy to announce that after pressure from lawmakers, attorneys, Wild Boar Meat Company, hunters, animal activists, environmentalists, veterinarians...the poison maker has withdrawn their application to use the poison in Texas. I'm so thankful that Republican House Representative Lynn Stucky introduced a bill to fully research the poison before using it. Stucky is also a veterinarian.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/04/25/hog-apocalypse-hold-poison-manufacturer-pulls-texas?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

By coincidence just this morning I received the results of my FOIA to the EPA. There were some interesting items in their "research."

On page 93 they stated there was spillage at the bait box. They stated quite a few wild mammals and birds ate the spillage including coyotes, birds, ground squirrels, cottontails, wood rats and deer. Coyotes, deer, birds can travel great distances. No one would know if they were poisoned as their fat does not turn blue. Many people hunt deer to eat. Game mammals can't be poisoned for obvious reasons. Most birds are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

On page 93 they state one dead raccoon was found. They only checked to see if it had signs of the dye. It didn't. They should have tested the liver.

On page 93, 94 they stated they left one dead hog at the site. It was scavenged upon by coyotes, feral hogs, turkey vultures and crows besides maggots. This shows dead poisoned hogs will be scavenged upon by non-target wildlife. Here in California we're losing our vulture population because of this poison.

They also said one piglet died. They said the liver would have been too small to analyze but the piglet could not have eaten the poison directly. A piglet's liver is not too small to analyze. The state lab analyzed the livers of ground squirrels, pigeons which only weigh one pound. Newborn piglets weigh 600 to 1,000 grams. 1 lb = 453 grams. They could have easily tested the piglet's liver. They probably didn't want to because it would have been found that the baby died from consuming the mother's poisoned milk. That would make them look bad.

They stated dead poisoned hogs should be buried with at least 18 inches of dirt on top of them underground. Hogs are huge. That would be a very expensive burial. Here in CA you have to pay someone to take away a dead animal. It costs $500 to dispose of a horse. Poisoned animals are considered toxic waste. You can't put them in the trash or landfill because non-target wildlife will eat them and die. We render them here in CA but that costs money.

Here is the result of my FOIA request.

https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d28118e816

We can't yet relax. The poison company applied to use the poison in Louisiana and Oklahoma. We need to stop this nationally. At least the company wasn't dumb enough to try to use it in California.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Saturday, April 22, 2017

Happy Earth Day from Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California - Mary Cummins

Happy Earth Day from Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins

Today April 22 is Earth Day. 20 million people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970 to increase public awareness abut the damage humans were doing to the environment. The purpose of Earth Day is to educate people about the relationship we have with our natural resources. California was one of the first states to enact statutes to protect our flora and fauna. Today Earth Day is celebrated by more than a billion people in 192 nations.

You don’t have to be a professional wildlife conservationist to protect our wildlife, ecosystems and earth. Here are a few things you can do to help save our environment.

Pick up litter. Wildlife sometimes mistake it for food, eat it and end up dying. Birds can also become entangled in fishing line and die.
Don’t use rat poison. Let rodent’s natural predators, i.e. coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raptors and snakes, control their populations.
Replace your lawn with native drought tolerant plans to conserve water and native pollinators.
Conserve water. This is especially important here in California. Use as little water as possible to prevent shortages and assure sufficient amounts of water for crops and the ecosystem.
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Most cities by now have recycling programs.
Use your car less often. Walk, bike, carpool, use public transportation or use a hybrid vehicle.
Never dump anything into a storm drain or gutter as they lead to the ocean.
Educate your children about local plants and animals so they will grow up with a positive conservation attitude.
Volunteer at nature centers, wildlife preserves or wildlife rehabilitation facilities.
Keep your dog on a leash in wild places. Don’t let your dog chase birds. Birds need undisturbed time to nest, forage, rest and clean themselves.
Keep cats indoors. Cats kill millions of birds and small animals every year. Many of the animals we receive were cat or dog caught.
Go solar. Most utilities now offer rebates.
Conserve electricity and gas. The less you use, the less pollution. Plate trees to offer shade. Line dry clothing.

There are many Earth Day events planned throughout California. Here are a few from the California Department of Fish & Game.

Earth Day Festival at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, April 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach (92647). The free event will include educational activity booths and guided tours of the reserve. Exhibitors include CDFW, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Wetland and Wildlife Care Center, Native People of SoCal, Orange County Coastkeeper, Shipley Nature Center, Air Quality Management District, Wyland Foundation, Shed Your Skin, and co-host Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Enjoy the Windows to Our Wetlands bus, interactive booths, native plant stations, a craft booth, food for sale, and more. The event is handicap accessible, held in the north parking lot. For more information, call (714) 846-1114.

CDFW will be at the U.S. Forest Service’s Kern River Valley Bioregions Festival at Circle Park in Kernville April 22, to explain the Kern River Hatchery renovation project and the new Kern River Rainbow program with the Friends of the Kern River Hatchery. The CDFW Natural Resource Volunteer Program will provide a booth with information on volunteer opportunities.
CDFW will host booths at three Sacramento area events: the Roseville Celebrate the Earth Festival and Sacramento Zoo Earth Day on April 22, and the ECOS Sacramento Earth Day on April 23. Ask staff about California wildlife, Watchable Wildlife locations in the greater Sacramento area and Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which is open to visitors year-round. Enjoy a variety of hands-on activities, including the Salmon Survival Wheel, where players learn about the obstacles that salmon must overcome in order to spawn.

Volunteer Work Day at Friant Interactive Nature Site, April 21 and 22, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 17443 N. Friant Rd, Friant (93626). Spend a fun day outdoors, doing trail maintenance (pulling weeds, raking, pruning) in a lovely setting for outdoors education. For more information, please call (559) 696-8092.

Gray Lodge Clean-up and Field Day and Public Meeting, April 22, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). The event is in partnership with California Waterfowl Association (CWA), and will include habitat and maintenance projects, followed by a lunch sponsored by CWA. The day will be informative and will help improve the quality of wildlife habitat. At 1:30 p.m., CDFW will hold an annual public outreach meeting regarding the Gray Lodge and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Areas at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area’s main office building. For more information, please call (530) 846-7500 or email GLWLA@wildlife.ca.gov.
Los Banos Wildlife Area will have a hands-on activity booth at the Modesto Earth Day Festival in Graceda Park.

Animal Advocates
http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us/
http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Los Angeles is not the #1 city for dog attacks on USPS delivery people - Mary Cummins

USPS came out with the annual dog attack city rankings April 6, 2017. If you look at the list, it's very misleading. Of course larger cities with more people will have more dog attacks. If you look at the attacks per capita, the list changes. Below is the USPS ranked list. I only looked at the USPS 1-10 list. It's possible the cities in the 11-30 list had higher attacks per capita than the below. I used populations for 2013 because that was the only year where all the cities had a noted population statistic.

City / Population / Dog Attacks / Attacks Per Capita

1. LA City 3.884M 80 = .0000205 per capita
2. Houston 2.196M 62 = .0000282
3. Cleveland 390,113 60 = .0001530
4. San Diego 1.356M 57 = .0000420
5. Louisville 253,128 51 = .0002010
6. Detroit 688,701 48 = .0000696
7. Denver 649,495 47 = .0000723
8. Chicago 2.719M 46 = .0000169
9. Indianapolis 852,866 44 = .0000515
10 Minneapolis 400,070 43 = .0001070

If we go by capita, per person, the rank changes to the below. Los Angeles went from number one to number nine on the list.

1. Louisville .0002010
2. Cleveland .0001530
3. Minneapolis .0001070
4. Denver .0000723
5. Detroit .0000696
6. Indianpolis .0000515
7. San Diego .0000420
8. Houston .0000282
9. Los Angeles .0000205
10. Chicago .0000169

As the USPS article stated, one reason why the total number of dog attacks on USPS delivery people has increased is people are shopping online more and having items delivered. More deliveries means more exposure to dogs. Of course there will be a higher number of attacks. That said we still must do all we can to prevent dog attacks.

https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2017/pr17_016.htm

I emailed USPS politely asking them if they could include per capita numbers or at least clarify the numbers. This is the reply from USPS. They don't care that their numbers are misleading. They're also making some cities with lower dog attack rates look bad.

From: Saunders, Mark R - Washington, DC <mark.r.saunders@usps.gov>

"Hi,

Thanks for your interest. The attack numbers were compiled from accident reports from letter carriers serving specific street addresses. The focus of this community outreach program is to raise awareness of this nationwide issue and protect our employees, children and the public at large and not a per capita interpretation. "

I decided to take a look at the entire list. Some cities ranked at the bottom should actually be at the top. I have this in Excel but I'm trying to figure out how to rank not just the numbers but the corresponding cities. I'll figure it out by tomorrow. I don't want to do it by hand. Just figured it out. Of these 42 cities LA is has one of the lowest dog attack rates per capita. Brooklyn and Chicago are number one and two for fewest number of attacks. This is ranked highest to lowest.

Here is the Excel file. Here is a pdf of it. The top att/cap numbers are direct. The ones below them are to a decimal point of 5, i.e. E 05. Move the decimal point over five places.

The table below falls apart. Here's an image.

USPS dog attacks per city per capita Los Angeles California usps.gov

CITY	ATKS	Pop.	Att/Cap
Flushing NY	22	72,008	0.000305522
Shawnee Mi, KS	18	64,323	0.000279838
Louisville, KY	51	253,128	0.000201479
Cleveland, OH	60	390,113	0.000153802
Buffalo, NY	28	258,959	0.000108125
Minneapolis, MN	43	400,070	0.000107481
Akron, OH	21	198,100	0.000106007
St Louis, MO	31	318,416	9.73569E-05
Richmond, VA	20	214,114	9.34082E-05
St Paul, MN	26	294,873	8.81736E-05
Cincinnati, OH	24	297,517	8.06677E-05
Denver, CO	47	649,495	7.23639E-05
Detroit, MI	48	688,701	6.96964E-05
New Orleans, LA	25	378,715	6.60127E-05
Kansas City, MO	30	467,007	6.42389E-05
Sacramento, CA	30	479,686	6.25409E-05
Wichita, KS	23	386,552	5.95004E-05
Baltimore, MD	36	622,104	5.78681E-05
Oakland, CA	23	406,253	5.6615E-05
Indianapolis, IN	44	852,866	5.15908E-05
Memphis, TN	33	653,450	5.05012E-05
Seattle, WA	31	652,405	4.75165E-05
Columbus, OH	39	822,553	4.74134E-05
Long Beach, CA	22	469,428	4.68655E-05
San Diego, CA	57	1,356,000	4.20354E-05
Fort Worth, TX	33	792,727	4.16285E-05
Charlotte, NC	33	792,862	4.16214E-05
Fresno, CA	19	509,924	3.72605E-05
Las Vegas, NV	21	603,488	3.47977E-05
OklahomaC, OK	20	610,613	3.2754E-05
Portland, OR	41	1,258,000	3.25914E-05
Dallas,TX	41	1,258,000	3.25914E-05
San Antonio, TX	42	1,409,000	2.98084E-05
Washington, DC	19	658,893	2.88362E-05
Houston, TX	62	2,196,000	2.82332E-05
Philadelphia, PA	40	1,553,000	2.57566E-05
Phoenix, AZ	35	1,513,000	2.31328E-05
San Jose, CA	21	998,537	2.10308E-05
Los Angeles, CA	80	3,884,000	2.05973E-05
Chicago, IL	46	2,719,000	1.6918E-05
Brooklyn, NY	27	2,592,000	1.04167E-05