Mute Swans Win Reprieve in Maryland
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Amanda the mute swan swims with her rescued friends at the Sanctuary. |
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After unnecessarily slaughtering 100 wild mute swans this spring, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has surrendered their permit to kill 1400 more of these majestic animals on the Chesapeake Bay. Thanks to a lawsuit filed by the Fund for Animals, the agency decided to discontinue their activities of indiscriminately shooting and killing the swans, after being asked to do so by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, granters of the original permit.
The swans were being targeted for their consumption of bay grasses, which have declined due to various factors, including pollution and runoff from farms and housing developments. The USFWS permit allowed for the swans to be killed at any time and in any location of the state, despite the fact that they are protected under federal and international laws and that their numbers have actually decreased since 1999. Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. backed the plan to cut the state's swan population to only 500 birds. Please contact the governor to let him know that you do not support lethal methods for controlling these beautiful birds.
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Office of the Governor
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: 410-974-3901
Fax: 410-974-3275
governor@gov.state.md.us
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