pa href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/opinion/the-slaughter-of-geese.html?_r=0″emThe New York Times/em/a/ppstrongspan style=”font-size:14px;”Re ldquo;Agriculturersquo;s Misnamed Agencyrdquo; (a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/18/opinion/agricultures-misnamed-agency.html”editorial, July 18/a):/span/strong/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”The federal agriculture departmentrsquo;s Wildlife Services, which New York City engages to control our indigenous animals, is indeed misnamed. Resident Canada geese receive anything but service when rounded up in our parks. To date, thousands of geese, parents and youngsters, have been targeted in these cyclical make-work operations mdash;which culminate when the hapless birds are gassed to death./span/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”Wildlife Servicesrsquo; stated mission mdash; ldquo;to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and wildlife to coexistrdquo; mdash; is what animal advocates do, by providing manuals (like our Canada Goose Habitat Modification Manual) and straightforward advice. Cities and towns that call Wildlife Services resolve nothing, but they do perpetuate a wasteful agency that many animal advocates wish to see dismantled./span/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”New York Cityrsquo;s federally protected Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge no longer protects geese. Hundreds were slaughtered this summer and last. Our city needs leadership that shuns Wildlife Services and respects our natural communities./span/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”EDITA BIRNKRANT/span/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”New York Director, Friends of Animals/span/ppspan style=”font-size:14px;”New York, July 19, 2013/span/p