From Cheryl Ross - [email protected]
The practice of snaring is one of the cruelest ways to
kill wildlife. In the best-case scenario, a steel-cable loop closes
around the animal's neck, strangling him within several minutes.
However, a recent survey of Maine's most "expert" trappers painted a
much grimmer picture: necropsies showed that 63 percent of coyotes
snared suffered hemorrhaging (evidenced by their swollen heads),
bloodied eyes and mouths, and broken teeth from trying to chew out of
the snare. Many animals had broken limbs from struggling to break free.
Still others were not dead when the trapper returned and were clubbed to
death. In Maine, state wildlife officials are trying to expand this
cruel practice in order to appease deer hunters, who are vexed over
declining deer numbers. Most biologists, however, recognize that the
true source of dwindling deer numbers is the loss of habitat. Moreover,
blanket killing as a means of controlling coyote populations has never
been successful; coyotes simply compensate by reproducing more quickly
whenever their population is threatened, and numbers quickly return to
pre-extermination levels.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Maine's Department Of Inland Fisheries
And Wildlife (IFW) is poised to expand its snaring program without
public input. Both residents and non-residents of Maine need to assert
public pressure on Maine officials to stop the expansion of their
inhumane killing program.
PLEASE Contact the following individuals and ask them to
STOP this cruel, wasteful, and ineffective killing plan. (Tell them
their tourism may depend on it.):
1. Governor Angus King, # 1 State House Station,
Augusta, ME 04333-0001/ ph: (207) 287-3531/
[email protected]
2. Commissioner Lee Perry, ME Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife,
284 State St., 41 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0041/
[email protected]
Go on to Interfaith
Movement Urges Shift to Vegetarianism
Return to 27 January 2002 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.
