Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Wisconsin's Wolf Kill - Rancid Policy

Humans have yet to find a peaceful, equal coexistence with animals. But that doesn't mean that while we are trying to find it, we have the right to cast a cruel gaze on those who are on four legs because we don't think they matter, or that we're more important. That idea is wrong and dangerous. It can change the future of animals on earth as we know it.

At one time in Wisconsin, the timber wolf population was extremely dire, even being listed as an endangered species. By 2004 (although the timber wolf has faced problems for many years before 2004) it was put on the list of "protected wild animals." From 2004 until 2011, the timber wolf went on and off different endangered and protected animal lists. I want to make this clear - I'm not too opposed to hunting deer (not that I personally would do it.) Deer hunting is great for our state's economy and it brings in money we desperately need, since King Walker has no plans to raise taxes on the 1% or create jobs. But I think when it comes to animals that were once state and federally endangered, I can't believe hunting is even in the picture. And I'm not the only one who feels this way. The Humane Society of the United States and other animal groups are threatening legal action if these wolf hunts do not stop. Act 169, the law Walker signed legalizing the hunting of timber wolves, is the worst thing to happen to them since being endangered. If these hunts continue, no matter what DNR secretary and Walker sheep Cathy Stepp says, the wolf will go right back to where it started. Its numbers will dwindle until it's almost gone. There is an entire delicate ecosystem that gets disrupted when one animal dies out. A food chain wrecked. It reeks havoc on our earth. 

Thankfully, Native American tribes here in the state helped keep 85 out of the designated-for-slaughter 116 wolves from being killed during this years hunt. As we saw with the whole mining fiasco, Scott Walker and his ilk are very disrespectful to the wishes of our states many tribes. Stepp essentially told the Chippewa tribe "too bad, so sad" when they argued that they have rights to many of the wolf packs in Northern Wisconsin. In fact, she has been fighting tribes every step of the way over this and other issues pertaining to hunting in the state. Here is her DNR all upset that the Chippewa were granted permission to hunt deer at night, regardless that the DNR has permitted legal wolf hunting at night to Wisconsin hunters.



But this is what I find most ironic about this entire thing. Act 169 also lays the groundwork for the use of dogs to track down wolves. Now, we're not talking about taking your dog pheasant or duck hunting. We're talking about ON PURPOSE using your dog to go find wolves. One of the main complaints against wolves is that they are attacking dogs. A small number of pets are killed each year by them. If the fear that wolves will eat your dog is so great that it requires slaughtering them, why are you using them to track and bait the wolves? Not to mention, that seems like animal cruelty to both the dog and the wolf. The law allows for up to 6 dogs per licensed hunter. Here's a tip - if you don't want wolves eating your dog, then don't use your dog to bait them. It's like waving a pork chop in their face and not expecting it to bite your hand.

The reality is is that wolves, bears, coyotes, hawks, fish, even the raccoon who eats your garbage, were all here first. We kicked them off their land. Because urban sprawl and climate change are growing at rates that seem to be faster than the speed of sound, animals are becoming more and more displaced. They are losing their natural homes in large numbers. We have no right to punish them for it. We need to learn to coexist now more than ever. If we're going to survive together, we need to learn respect our wild counterparts.

"The Earth does not belong to man; Man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
-Chief Seattle

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated…I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by people from the cruelty of human kind" -Mahatma Gandhi

 "A good deed done to an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is a bad as an act of cruelty to a human being."
-Prophet Mohammed

 "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." 
 -Francis of Assisi



11 comments:

  1. "At one time in Wisconsin, the timber wolf population was extremely dire, even being listed as an endangered species."

    As dire as ZERO. Can't get more dire than that.

    -HammerHead

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  2. Also, 85 out of the legislated state goal of 201 dead wolves, have been reserved for Native American tribes, thus leaving 116 available for permitted hunters and trappers to kill.

    As you stated above, it would appear that 85 are saved from 116, leaving a less gruesome total of 31 wolves designated for slaughter.

    Just wanted to be clear for those that are new to this topic that the overall goal of this hunt was set at 201, and it is likely that the tribes will protect those reserved for their 'use', which still leaves 116 wolves designated to be killed.

    -HammerHead

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  3. Bear hunting dogs have been known to take down pets.

    The wolf-hunt is a cheap way for Wisconsin Republican legislators to score a few more right-wing NRA-loving "sportsmen."

    Not to mention the farmers, especially the ones who get some government subsidies already.

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  4. You're both very correct. The guy who runs a hunting group here in Wisconsin, was very angry at the real possibility of a lawsuit being brought against using dogs. Go figure.

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  5. My biggest concern has been that the hunt has the potential of screwing up the hierarchy of packs. There is an Alpha male and An Alpha female. If one of those is shot or trapped, the pack is without leadership and without a breeding pair. Wolves have a highly structured system. Losing either Alpha can be problematic.

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  6. Thanks Meg and to everyone on this thread.

    Eliminating them from the food chain just puts our species at greater risk.

    AFAIK, wolf packs can learn (better) to fear the scent of humans and farms. An investment has to be made, but afaik, it pays dividends.

    "Yellowstone Wolves Help Trees Rebound, Study Says" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/02/study-yellowstone-wolves-trees_n_1179440.html

    IMHO, biomass is a seriously underutilized renewable resource. Pyrolysis is heating it in an anaerobic environment. A lot of folks think it's a carbon negative source for biofuels and biochar. Biofuels from biomass aren't perfect, but they're an improvement over fossil fuels and biofuels from corn.

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  7. Replies
    1. Which? The libprogs? I envision a European style driven hunt ...

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  8. It is my opinion that we have exceeded both the ecological and societal tolerance level of ignorant rednecks in Wisconsin. Should the state pass regulation to manage the excess population of rednecks through a humane redneck harvest program?

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    Replies
    1. Announce a new online contest "Hey Watch This" with a Million dollar prize for the most entertaining accidents and biggest crashes. Stand back and let Darwin do the work.

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