#Animal Welfare
Target:
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland
Region:
United States of America
Website:
www.savemuteswans.org

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been needlessly killing thousands of mute swans in the Chesapeake Bay. The DNR claims that the swans are damaging the ecosystem by consuming aquatic plants. However there is absolutely no evidence to back this claim up.

Because there is no concrete evidence to prove whether or not swans are native to the U.S., they are simply being used as a scapegoat for ecosystem damage caused by many other factors including pollution and coastal land development. Not to mention, the swans are being killed in random and cruel manners. Only about 500 swans remain in the Chesapeake Bay, which is a small fraction of the over 3,500 swans that resided there just 6 years ago.

Negotiations with Maryland's DNR has failed to bring a change of fate for the Chesapeake Bay's mute swans. But Maryland's governor, Martin O'Malley, has the authority to call off the brutal killings. The few swans left in the Chesapeake are not damaging the environment and should therefore be left to live.

Nigel Barker, world-renowned photographer and America’s Next Top Model judge, and musician Slash, famous guitarist with Guns N’ Roses, have both signed the petition asking the governor to end this slaughter. You, too, must appeal to Governor O'Malley today and speak up for the swans!

We, the undersigned, call on Governor Martin O'Malley to call off the brutal and unnecessary killings of mute swans in the Chesapeake Bay.

There is no evidence that mute swans are causing any sort of damage to the environment. Therefore, the few swans that are left in the bay should be allowed to live. If population control is deemed necessary down the road, non-lethal methods such as egg-addling should be used instead.

Mute swans are naturalized to the U.S. and are a beautiful part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. We call on Governor O'Malley to speak up for the swans and end the killing for good!

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The Save the Chesapeake Bay's Mute Swans! petition to Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland was written by Natalie and is in the category Animal Welfare at GoPetition.