The U.S. The Department of Agriculture has declared war on a flesh-eating maggot that infests wildlife, livestock, household pets, and, in rare cases, people. The battle strategy? Dumping billions of sterilized flies out of planes over Mexico and Texas. Using this tried-and-true biological control technique, the USDA aims to stamp out the larvae of the […]
Oregon Safari Park Reportedly Starved Lions and Left Dead Tiger in Freezer
State police raided West Coast Game Park Safari in Bendon, Oregon, on Thursday, as the roadside zoo faces allegations of animal mistreatment and neglect. Years of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports have found that the park’s more than 450 animals live in shocking conditions, citing a dead tiger kept in a freezer for months, […]
Move Over, H5N1—Another Bird Flu Strain Has Arrived in the U.S.
H5N1 isn’t the only version of bird flu that we should be worried about. Animal health officials reported Monday that a highly pathogenic strain of H7N9 bird flu was recently detected on a poultry farm in Mississippi—a different strain from the H5N1 flu spreading among cows and poultry since last year. The World Organization for […]
USDA Inspector General Who Refused to Leave Post Escorted From Office by Security
Last Friday, President Donald Trump purged several agencies of their inspectors general, demanding that at least 17 people in the role immediately turn in their work laptops and ID badges. One of those IGs, Phyllis Fong at the US Department of Agriculture, decided not to leave, believing the order to be illegal. According to a […]