 Snapshots or Gunshots?
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Nov. 3, 2003 — The Fund for Animals, a national animal protection organization with more than 20,000 members and supporters in New York State, has condemned the state's Bureau of Wildlife (BOW) for its plan to promote hunting and trapping in Catskill Park.
In comments sent to the Bureau on Oct. 8, the Fund accused the agency of ignoring the wishes of the majority of the public, who prefer to watch wildlife rather than kill them.
"Despite clear evidence that people are much more interested in using cameras rather than guns to shoot animals, the plan persists in encouraging hunting and trapping opportunities," said Dora Schomberg, New York State Coordinator for The Fund for Animals.
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"BOW needs to drop its hunting club mentality," Schomberg continued. "Nationally, hunters only make up 4.6 percent of the population, compared to the 31 percent who are wildlife watchers."
Schomberg pointed out that while the plan also includes the introduction of species in the Catskill environment, the intention historically has been to establish populations of animals for future hunting and killing opportunities.
A letter sent to the Bureau of Wildlife by a Buffalo area woman related the tragedy of a deer that was shot by a hunter and fell down a ravine. The deer was left to suffer on the frozen ground with a shattered rear leg and mutilated hindquarters for 18 hours until a rehabilitator found it.
The woman has also witnessed deer with jaws shot off and arrows in their necks.
"This letter demonstrates the need for BOW to stop denying the injuries that are caused to individual animals and the people who care about them," said Schomberg.
With the decline in the number of hunters nationwide, Schomberg stated that the Bureau of Wildlife is now scrambling to recruit children into hunting.
"Rather than persist in scrambling to maintain recreational hunting and trapping, BOW needs to stop catering to a tiny interest group and start supporting the millions of New Yorkers who do not hunt or trap," said Schomberg. "This is not the time to resuscitate blood sports."
Schomberg continued, "Although BOW is financed by millions of dollars of the public's tax money, the non-hunting public's viewpoint is consistently ignored. As long as animals are regarded as moving targets to be destroyed, BOW is not serving the public well."
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Name: White-Tailed Deer (Odocileus virginianus)
Primary Classification: Cervidae (Deer) Location: Southern Canada to northern South America. Habitat: Woodlands and grasslands that offer partial concealment. Diet: A host of plant species including buckbrush, dogwood, chokecherry, plum red cedar, pine and agricultural crops. Size: Up to 8 ft in length and 310 lbs in weight. Description: Rusty brown in summer to buff in winter. White belly and white patch on throat. Variable white areas on face. Large tail has white underside. Males, or bucks, have antlers whereas females, or does, do not. Cool Facts: When threatened they raise their tails, flashing the white underside as a warning to others in the herd. Conservation Status: Common |
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