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DRAWING A BEAD "Animal Rights" Groups
Richard A. Pearson |
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The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has taken a stand against coyote hunting contests in Maine. In a press release regarding a “Coyote Derby” in Maine, the HSUS claims “hunters who try to reduce the numbers of the non-indigenous coyotes to protect native species do so without general scientific support.“ I disagree. As the coyotes invaded, we all witnessed quail, rabbit, and pheasant numbers fall. If the invasion of non-indigenous species were not a problem, why are we concerned about zebra mussels, gobi fish, big headed carp, and Eurasian watermilfoil? Isn’t this is just the latest case of the HSUS trying to eliminate all hunting, as they promised they would in the 1990s? Fishing will be next, mark my words. Most hunters and sportsmen are not aware of the recent absorption of the Fund for Animals (a radical animal rights organization), into the HSUS. Now, the combined assets of the new HSUS will exceed $89,000,000! The merging of these two groups has allowed the HSUS to form a litigation section that will in all probability be used to sue state departments of natural resources, municipalities, and maybe even mainstream pro-wildlife groups, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, Delta Waterfowl, and others. Sadly, I see sportsmen’s dollars that should be going to habitat restoration and species promotion, being used to establish legal defense funds to defend against HSUS lawsuits. As sportsmen, we are going to have to take two courses of action: first, like it or not, we must establish our own legal defense funds and second, we should boycott any organization that is affiliated with the HSUS. At a recent gun show a fellow told me of a telephone solicitation he received from PETA (another animal rights group) – the woman caller insisted he give a donation to the organization. When the fellow asked if a ten-dollar donation be sufficient, the woman said yes, that it would be sufficient. To that the fellow said, “I’ll send it to the NRA today.” Surprisingly, the woman caller hung up. Now, there’s a plan I can live with. |
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