2/13/04
Dear Journal News:
"Cop fires 4 shots to kill deer" (2/12/04) gives the
non-hunting public a glimpse of the cruelty the DEC prefers to hide.
This deer was incapacitated from a car collision and could
have been quickly killed by a bullet to the brain, at point blank range, by
someone whose job depends on skill with their weapon, yet it took 4 shots.
Imagine the suffering of a fast moving animal, shot from a
distance, and injured, but not immediately killed. That animal will die
a slow agonizing death from blood loss, starvation, or exposure, while
waiting
for the return of her killer, who may not have the skill or desire
to track her down and finish his "recreational opportunity" (what
the DEC considers wildlife to be). The inaccuracy of the shot, and the
inherent
increase in
suffering, is compounded when the killer is a bow hunter.
If, as the article states, a handgun is unable to kill an
animal with one shot, why does the DEC consider handguns as a legal hunting
weapon where firearms are allowed?
The DEC is quoted as blaming deer for deer/car collisions,
when hunting is the cause, as frightened deer run onto roads to escape their
killers. In 2002, the Erie Insurance Group noted that deer/car collisions
rose nearly five times on the first day of deer season.
Given that the deer and humans involved deer/car
collisions are co-victims of hunters, why are injured deer not tranquilized
and taken to wildlife rehabilitators, instead of being further victimized?
Go to
www.all-creatures.org/cash if you would like
to learn more about abusive wildlife management practices.
Susan Gordon, Representative
The Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
Box 562
New Paltz, NY 12561
