GarryRogers Nature Conservation

Wild Plants & Animals Advocate

GarryRogers Nature Conservation

Tag Archives: sport-hunting

Trophy hunting of grizzly bears to continue in British Columbia – The Globe and Mail

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Justine Hunter, VICTORIA — The Globe and Mail

“British Columbia is cracking down on the use of sheep and goats as pack animals for big game hunters in its latest set of hunting and trapping regulations. But the contentious trophy hunting of grizzly bears will continue unchanged.

“The provincial ministry responsible for hunting produced updated regulations on Monday, and although it has rejected a proposal to increase the number of grizzly hunting permits for resident hunters in the Peace River region, environmentalists are disappointed that the status quo remains in place.

“The major changes include additional record-keeping requirements for butchers, and a new ban on bringing domesticated sheep or goats along on big game hunts to act as beasts of burden because of fears that the animals may pass on disease to wildlife. The report did not say whether this was a common practice. Steve Thomson, the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, says in the report released Monday his major concern in wildlife management right now is around the declining moose population, and he promised a new BC Moose Tracker app that will allow people to record moose sightings.”  Continue reading: Trophy hunting of grizzly bears to continue in British Columbia – The Globe and Mail

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Decision to declare lions endangered comes just months after the death of ‘Cecil the Lion’

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GR:  American trophy hunters just aren’t rich enough to stop this move. In other instances, it is clear that protecting economic interests is more important to the Fish and Wildlife Service than protecting wildlife (e.g., the Greater Sage Grouse: http://www.fws.gov/greatersagegrouse/status.php). That’s the way it is in America. Government agencies that actively harm the wildlife or ecosystems in their care are just one more consequence of a government controlled by money.

Exposing the Big Game's avatarExposing the Big Game

Theo-Bronkhorst-Cecil-lion-Zimbabwe2

“If hunting is part of a conservation strategy, then it’s part of a failing strategy,” said Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on a conference call for journalists. The rule is “not reacting to Cecil specifically or any other incident specific, but rather an overwhelming body of science that says that lions are threatened.”

Hefty fees paid in the by hunters of big game like lions ostensibly help fund conservation efforts. But some wildlife experts question whether the policies have been effective as implemented. Lion populations have declined by 43% during the last 20 years, according to the FWS.

The endangered listing comes along with a number of new policies, including new permit requirements for hunters hoping to import trophies from lion hunts. The agency said it will only issue permits in accordance with science on how best to conserve lion species. The rules…

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Pennsylvania pigeon shoots: An early push for their extinction

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Politics Preys on Pennsylvania Pigeons

By Rahn Forney, rahnforney@ldnews.com 01/21/2015 08:23:49 PM EST

Penn pigeon shoot“Pennsylvania, in 2014, almost became the 50th state to ban live pigeon shoots. For the geographically challenged, that would be all of them, finally, pitching the anachronistic nonsport onto the trash heap.

“The votes looked good. The Senate passed the bill in mid-October on a 36-12 vote. It had to go to the House. It needed a vote in that chamber to reach the governor’s desk.

“But first, it had to get through the House Rules Committee, and that is where the bill that had taken flight better than it ever had in the decades that it’s been sought, hit with a splat and died.

“What killed it was a barrage of political donations from the Flyers Victory Fund, a political action committee that supports the shoots. The fund kicked out $20,000 for members of the House Rules Committee — a grand apiece plus $3,000 to its boss, Rep. Mike Turzai. So for $1,000 each, and a little extra gravy for the chief, the Flyers assured that those who still wish to take part in the practice will be able to legally do so in Pennsylvania for at least a while longer. Politics is worse to watch than even a live pigeon shoot.

“One positive: Four members of the Rules Committee returned the money. They were Reps. Bill Adolph Jr., Mark Mustio, Robert Godshell and Thomas Killion — all Republicans. It appears the other 14 Republicans and all 15 Democrats tucked the cash into their war chests and moved on. If I’m wrong, I’m sure I’ll hear it. My information came from campaign finance reports dated through late November” (read more).

 

Predator Killing Contest Environmental Assessment Available for 15-day Comment Period

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“The BLM is asking for comments on an Environmental Assessment that examines the impacts of issuing a Special Recreation Permit (SRP) to conduct a predator killing contest on BLM lands. The comment period begins today and remains open for 15 days, until Friday, October 16, 2014.

“If the SRP is issued, the killing contest is scheduled to take place from January 2-4, 2015 and would include prizes for killing a variety of species from wolves, coyotes, weasels, skunks, jackrabbits, raccoons, and starlings. Last year the contestants killed 21 coyotes and at least one badger. The permit would allow the contest to take place on BLM lands in a large portion of eastern Idaho.”

Source: www.thewildlifenews.com

GR:  Please send a comment to the BLM.  Instead of killing predators, we should be tending to the habitats that their prey need.  With more than half of Earth’s vertebrates wiped out by humans since 1970 (report by World Wildlife Fund), it is past time to begin conserving wildlife species, not killing them for fun.

“Hunter-Conservationists:” the Most Ridiculous Spin of the Century

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GR:  Photography field trips are a great alternative to hunting trips. Photography clubs everywhere should plan more outings, and they should share their plans with their local wildlife agencies (often called Game … agencies). Obtaining a good photograph takes as much or more skill than killing with rifle or bow.

The following from Exposing the Big Game

The award for Most Ridiculous Spin of the Century goes collectively to Kit Fischer, sportsmen’s outreach coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation (what the hell kind of environmental/wildlife advocacy group hires an outreach coordinator to attract sport hunters?); Dave Chadwick, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation; Jim Posewitz, board member of Helena Hunters and Anglers; Casey Hackathorn, president of Hellgate Hunters and Anglers; Chris Marchion, board member of Anaconda Sportsmen and Glenn Hockett, president of Gallatin Wildlife Association. These revisionists recently had the insolent audacity to try to boast that “hunter-conservationists saved bison from extinction a century ago” in their article, Enlist Montana Hunters to Manage Bison Numbers.

Let’s not forget that the vast herds that once blackened the plains for hundreds of miles on end were almost completely killed off by hide-hunters, market meat-hunters or by sport-hunters shooting from trains just for a bit of fun?

The only reason hunters stopped the insanity was that the bison were all but completely wiped out. By the time they ended their killing spree, only 18 wild bison remained, holed up like wrongfully-accused outlaws in the upper reaches of the Yellowstone caldera.

Although Yellowstone National Park is now synonymous with the shaggy bovines, bison would prefer to spend their winters much further downriver, on lands now usurped and fenced-in by cowboys to fatten-up their cattle before shipping them off to slaughter.

If today’s ranchers and hunters had their way, bison, along with wolves and grizzly bears, would be forever restricted to the confines of the park. Rancher-hunters already have such a death-grip on Montana’s wildlife that bison are essentially marooned and forced to stay within park borders, battling snow drifts no matter how harsh the winter, despite an instinctual urge to migrate out of the high country during heavy snow winters.

Instead of making amends for the historic mistreatment of these sociable, benevolent souls, twenty-first-century sport hunters want their chance to lay waste to them again–this time in the name of “tradition.”

Parts of this post were excerpted from my book, Exposing the Big Game: Living Targets of a Dying Sport

Text and Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE ~ WWF’s International President and USAID: End your Partnership with the USA Pro-Hunting Lobby G

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The desperate search for funding drives politicians and nonprofits into relationships harmful to the welfare of their constituents.

Ban grouse shooting in England

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Petition for British residents.

“Responsible department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  Intensive management of upland areas for the ‘sport’ of grouse shooting has led to the near-extinction of the protected Hen Harrier in England, as well as increased risk of flooding, discolouration of drinking water, degradation of peatbogs and impacts on other wildlife (Red Grouse Photo:  CORBIS).”

Source: nuzzel.com

GR:  Hunting is not a human right to be protected until all of the desired species are gone.  Sport hunting should be banned completely.  More and more species’ populations are falling to dangerous levels.  Protection, not preying, is what is needed now.  Hunters need to take up photograph, and if that isn’t violent enough, they can try boxing or football.

WWF Supports Sport Hunting

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7 WWF Supports Sport Hunting WWF Supports Sport Hunting – The International Marches For Elephants and Lions was a game changer around the world in that they created an incredible amount of awarenes…

Source: exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com

GR:  Offer sport-hunting alternatives.  For instance, tag and photo trophies.  A paint-ball tag would show one’s skill, and a photo would document the skill for friends and acquaintances.  Or, offer opportunities to enlist in the war on illegal wildlife trade and join protected poacher patrols and, you know….

“Extreme Huntress” and hunting’s flimsy facade

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Kathleen Stachowski   Other Nations.  “How extreme does one have to be to earn the title of “Extreme Huntress”? Don’t let the diminutive -ess suffix trick you into thinking this title is a shoddy substitute for the real (male) deal. These women will get up off their childbirth bed to score a trophy–and tote two-week-old Junior along for the thrill of the kill.”

Source: animalblawg.wordpress.com

GR:  If we do not find ways to curb the killer defect in humans, one day we will be placing Mountain Lions on the endangered species list and then on another day they will all be gone.

Visit the Animal Blawg for this story, and note the fine list of animal rights resources on the sidebar.