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All the brass from the ODFW, WDFW, and Army Corps of Engineers are out at the dam at this very moment, frantically attempting to do advance damage control over possible public reaction to the news that the trapping and killing program has begun. So far, at least two sea lions are in state custody. It could be more, since officials are trying to be very tight lipped about this. But they've admitted to two. Given that more than 50 percent of the sea lions in their custody died last year, BEFORE they had permission to actually kill them, things are not looking good. Although the public has been rather apathetic over the potential killings of sea lions thus far, officials know very well that once the killing starts, public shock and outrage are almost a certainty. So, in order to protect their own images as guardians of public interests and state wildlife, officials from ODFW, WDFW, and Army Corps of Engineers have refused to allow any media access to the trapped animals. They have banned cameras from the trapping location, have refused to alert the media when trapping or shooting will occur, and have not been forthcoming with any information about animals in their custody. A journalist with a (cough) prominent local paper requested permission to see the trapped animals in their cages, and was denied this request. And if you care about these sea lions, get up to the dam. You can contact In Defense of Animals at 503-249-9996 or the Sea Lion Defense Brigade at SeaLionDefenseBrigade@lists.riseup.net to co-ordinate with other people when you can be up near the dam to bear witness to what is happening to the sea lions. The killing can take place anywhere from the dam all the way down to Beacon Rock, so the more eyes and ears (and CAMERAS!) out there, the better. UPDATE: Sea Lion Dead!
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