The National Park Service in California are being sued for causing the agonising deaths of hundreds of Tule elk.
Over 150 elk have so far died from starvation and dehydration at Point Reyes National Seashore after they were prevented from travelling out of the drought-stricken area to find food and water. More are expected to succumb unless action is taken quickly. The park service leases public land which is in their care to cattle ranchers and in a bid to protect the financial interests of these wealthy tenants have erected a huge fence to prevent the elk 'competing' with cattle for food and water. Clearly, these cattle barons have no care for animals at all and are driven solely by profit. They breed cattle by the hundreds in order to slaughter them for a quick buck and in order to protect those profits they have no compunction about causing the suffering of other animals along the way. The National Park Service, on the other hand, aught to know better. They are tasked with protecting the land and the wildlife that lives there and are clearly failing to fulfil that responsibility. Although they have brought in a handful of water troughs, these have only been made available to one of the four herds of elk in the park at Tomales Point. The rest have been left to die after their usual water sources dried up in the drought. Elk typically live within half a mile or so of water as they need to drink around 4 gallons a day, as well as using it to cool off in. They will naturally travel 25 miles or more if water sources dry up. These elk were reintroduced here in 1978 after previously being hunted almost to extinction and the park service owe them a duty of care. Yet, as we see so often all over the world, the financial interests of the animal agriculture industry continue to be put before all else. So three California residents, along with the Animal Legal Defence Fund, are suing the park service for negligence in the San Francisco federal court. They fear that unless the service is forced to provide food and water for these fenced-in animals, many more will suffer and die. |