The documentary “Wild Things” will be shown free at Cozmic in Eugene tonight.
The film is about progressive ranchers coexisting with wolves and other predators. It also focuses on
Wildlife Services, a branch of the Department of Agriculture. The agency has come under fire in recent years for the traps it uses to destroy and disperse animals considered to be a threat to agriculture, the public and the environment. John Mellgren, a staff attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center, says the traps don’t always get the targeted animals.
Mellgren– “They set out traps, and set out both foot hold traps and poison traps and they get a lot more than just the animals they are trying to kill. And a lot of their methods are pretty inhumane.”
Wildlife Services trappers try to target coyotes and invasive species like nutria. However, they have also accidentally caught endangered animals like golden eagles, black bears, and even wolverines. The film, which begins at 7 PM, will be followed by a panel discussion with Wellgren and O-S-U professor and wildlife expert Dr. Robert Beschta.