Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Hummingbird Is Getting to be a Pest

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DSC_0272Humans aren’t all bad—not all the time, anyway. We may be the most parasitic plague and destructive mutants ever to evolve on Earth, but occasionally our actions can actually help certain other animals.

Sometimes it’s unintentional, such as when people are driving the sandy beaches here030 on the Pacific coast. Vehicles on the soft, upland sand can disrupt or damage endangered snowy plover nests, and when people drive too fast right along the surf they’ve been known to run over migratory shorebirds feeding there. But on exceptionally windy days, while driving the beach in search of pelagic birds, like murres or grebes, washed up after brutal storms and now in need of rehabilitation, I’ve noticed that the shorebirds take refuge in deep tire tracks, hunkering down in the only cover they can find (especially if beachcombers have trucked off all the driftwood logs).

While leaving deep tire tracks in the sand can’t really be considered a direct, intentional act of kindness for an animal, keeping fresh, thawed sugar-water out for the straggler humming bird we’ve had here all winter surely can. The poor bird must have stuck around this normally mild, coastal region, rather than migrating further south, because of the late-blooming honeysuckle and early blossoming salmonberry shrubs. But now an arctic air mass has encroached for a week, bringing with it temperatures in the teens and wind-chills in the single digits. Frozen ponds and snow coating on the Sitka spruces and western hemlock complete this late Christmas-card scene, but I can imagine, to a high strung hummingbird, it must feel like the ice age is back to stay.

Photo Thanks to Linda Delano

Photo Thanks to Linda Delano

My wife has been the one diligently keeping watch over the feeder, being sure to exchange it for a thawed one every other hour on these iciest of days. But at first light this morning, while the coffee was brewing, I went out in my bathrobe before filling the other birds’ feeders and replaced his liquid refreshment. As it was, the hummingbird didn’t show up at until after 8:00.a.m. It must have been hard to leave the thicket he was crouched in and face the frozen wasteland to find out whether or not the human handout had turned into a sugar-water popsicle. He was lucky this morning. Hardly a steaming cup of hot coffee, but it must have seemed like the nectar of the gods to someone with such a high metabolism—especially after a long night spent burning precious energy trying to stay warm.

Were I of a different mindset (i.e., not an animal lover) I might say, “That hummingbird is becoming a pest. It could be considered a safety hazard, or maybe even a road hazard. It could be an exotic or even an invasive species. It might be time to call for a cull, or even a contest hunt on him.” But, fortunately for him, I’m not like that.

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8 charged in connection with illegal hunting activity

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http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/269817/2/8-charged-in-connection-with-illegal-hunting-activity

Feb 6, 2014
Kerry Leary

ALLAGASH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – The Maine Warden Service has charged eight people with various hunting violations after executing search warrants.

As a result of an ongoing investigation into illegal hunting activity, six search warrants were executed. Five in the town of Allagash, Maine and one in Palermo, Maine.

Eight people were charged, two of whom were taken to the Aroostook County Jail. Maine Game Warden Lt. Dan Scott said the suspects are “intentional wildlife violators who display a complete disregard for fish and game laws.”

He also said the current and past poaching practices of those charged “have undoubtedly had an impact on local wildlife resources.”

The charges range from illegal possession of moose and deer to hunting with a suspended license. The following list details the charges filed:

1. Carter McBreairty of Allagash, charged with “hunting deer after having killed one.”
2. Kim Hafford of Allagash, charged with “false registration of a deer.”
3. Jess McBreairty of Allagash, charged with “hunting with a suspended license,” and arrested for a violation of bail.
4. Reid Caron of Allagash, arrested on a warrant for night hunting moose.
5. Hope Kelly of Allagash, charged with “possession of moose killed at night,” and “possession of an unregistered moose.”
6. Gregory Hughes of Allagash, charged with “possession of a firearm by a felon.”
7. Arlo Caron of Allagash, charged with “unlawful possession of gift deer.”
8. Gerald Pollard of Palermo, charged with “illegal possession of moose.”

The Warden Service is working with the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office on the investigation. More charges are likely to be filed.

Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

Photo of the Day: Diddy Wears Dead Mink For Music Video

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The Paw Report / Serpent Club's avatarThe Paw Report

I really can’t believe that in one day, I make two fur posts. Mostly because it’s hard for me to fathom that people are still looking to fur coats as status symbols — I remember my grandmother’s mink coat, kept upstairs in her closet, and the coat was horrifying to me. Because of those memories of my grandmother and her fur, I always associate fur coats with old people.

It’s striking to me that younger people are helping fur make a “comeback” despite the fact that it’s relatively easy to access information pertaining to the cruelty of the industry. Younger people spend a lot of time on the Internet, and a person can learn about fur farming by reading articles, finding photos, and watching videos of how animals are exploited for clothing. So what is going on here — are people ignoring the information available, or do they see it…

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Stop the Crossbow Insanity in New York

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This action alert from IDA answers to an disallowed comment from someone claiming to have “…a natural areas management background” (who must not have read this blogs “About” page wherein it is stated that pro-hunting comments will not be approved), “We also cull many deer here. But, we don’t make big anouncements about it. They cause many car related accidents and this is really the only way to handle them. The upside is the meat doesn’t go to waste, but to a food kitchen.” (I’m sure the deer appreciate knowing that.)

https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2563&autologin=true#.UvQPwp8EwLk.facebook

(Valid address is required – P.O. Boxes cannot be used)

In Defense of Animals

Oppose Legalizing Crossbows and Changing the Minimum Distance Requirement for Killing Wildlife from Occupied Dwellings

What’s next… throwing spears out of car windows to kill wildlife for fun?

We need your help to stop a proposal in New York that would legalize the use of crossbows. For bow hunting, it would also lower the current 500 foot minimum shooting distance from a home or occupied structure down to the outrageously dangerous distance of only 150 feet in order to further accommodate bow hunters.

There is a notable trend in relaxing crossbow hunting regulations across the nation, mainly in an effort to stem declining hunter numbers, by increasing hunting opportunities.

A current example is New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo, who wants to legalize hunting with crossbows to kill deer and bears, and allow the use of crossbows just 150 feet from homes and other buildings.

Crossbows are short-range, lethal weapons from which the projectile is released by squeezing a trigger, rather than by manually releasing the string as with a longbow. They are essentially guns that shoot powerful arrows and weapons which appeal to inexperienced hunters.

What you can do:Send the letter below to the leaders of the New York Assembly and the Senate and Governor Cuomo and request that they amend Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget bill by deleting section I.

Personalize and submit the form below to email your comments to:

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo
  • Senator Dean Skelos
  • Senator Jeffrey Klein
  • Speaker Sheldon Silver

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No Crossbow Hunting and No Bow Hunting Distance Reductions

Dear [Decision Maker],

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As a supporter of In Defense of Animals (IDA) and an avid advocate for wildlife, and the safety of people, I am requesting that you amend Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget bill by deleting section I.

Governor Cuomo’s proposal seeks to legalize crossbows for hunting and allow their use at 150 feet from occupied buildings, while also limiting the liability for landowners who want to turn their property into killing grounds. This means that crossbows could be used near areas with high human traffic and activity homes and backyards with children, golf courses, parking lots, student housing, well-traveled roads and public trails, and parks where families spend time and walk their animal companions.

Hunting with crossbows is currently illegal in New York and limited in many other states for good reason; crossbows are inherently more dangerous than other types of hunting weapons. Crossbows require much less skill than compound, long, or recurve bows, which makes them attractive to inexperienced hunters, including children and teenagers.

The wounding rate of deer by bow hunters is already over 50%, which means that more than half of deer are shot but never retrieved by hunters. These animals suffer a prolonged and painful death, which is a direct violation of the “quick death” required by the code of ethics that so-called “sportsmen” claim to adhere to.

Governor Cuomo’s proposal is in line with a dangerous trend to relax bow hunting regulations nationwide to increase hunter recruitment and retention, at the expense of the safety of the non-hunting community, including many of your constituents.

Jeopardizing the safety of the majority of people in order to satisfy a minority of “sportsmen” is unacceptable. New Yorkers have the right to be safe and Governor Cuomo’s proposal should be rejected.

Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP]

Action Alert: Washington Cougar Hound Hunting Legislation

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From the Mountain Lion Foundation: http://www.mountainlion.org/actionalerts/012814WAsb6287/012814WAsb6287.asp?utm_source=Cougar+Clippings+2%2F05%2F2014&utm_campaign=Clippings+02%2F05%2F2014&utm_medium=email

 

Washington state Senators Brian Dansel and Don Benton have authored a bill to force the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to allow trophy hunters to use hounds to kill cougars for fun.  Please help us stop this cruel and unnecessary bill!

February 4, 2014: SB 6287 Passes Resources Committee

This afternoon the Senate Natural Resources & Parks Committee passed the bill onward, despite demonstrated opposition at last week’s hearing.  The bill is moving toward the Senate floor where it will be voted upon sometime in the next two weeks (February 18th is the last day).

We are extremely short on time! Please contact your Senator NOW and urge him or her to vote against this terrible bill!  For tips on what to say, please scroll down below the video and see the bullet points.

January 20, 2014: Senate Bill 6287 Introduced

Washington state Senators Brian Dansel and Don Benton have coauthored a bill as part of the latest attempt to force the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to allow trophy hunters to use hounds to kill cougars for fun.  The bill states special “dangerous wildlife task teams must be developed in each county […] and a kill season with the aid of dogs must be established,” ultimately claiming they will hunt lions to protect the public and increase research on the species.  WDFW and the findings of numerous research projects have shown these hunting programs don’t work, and they can actually increase cougar-human conflicts.

Photo of lion in tree with snow covered pines in background.

The program is merely a feel-good title for a group of hunters who will use a pack of hounds to track and chase a cougar until it climbs a tree out of exhaustion, and then shoot the cat at close range off a tree branch.

Moreover, WDFW already has the authority to initiate special public safety hunts with the use of hounds, if needed (WAC 232-12-243).  But the agency has found instead, by utilizing the latest peer-reviewed science into management decisions, “Cougar conflicts have declined substantially in recent years as the Department continues to emphasize cougar awareness coupled with our agency kill authority of problem cougars at the time of an incident.”

Teaching the public about coexistence and only killing the individual cats causing problems has proven to be a more successful policy.

Allowing groups of hound hunters to kill random cougars in rural areas has not yielded any positive results.

Washington sport hunters (without dogs) currently shoot more than 100 lions each year, and WDFW has found this mortality level may already be too high.  The cougar population is declining and the excessive killing of adult lions has caused an age shift to younger cats which are more likely to come into conflict with people, pets, and livestock.

The agency has been using published research from Washington State University to revise and lower the state’s annual sport hunting quotas so that the cougar population may grow and mature.  The last thing we need is a new program to track and kill more cougars, especially cats that have never come into conflict with people.

Senate Bill 6287 is a redundant authorization of public safety hound hunts — WDFW already has this tool at its discretion anytime they determine it appropriate and necessary to use hounds to help kill cougars.

Senate Bill 6287 would also force WDFW to implement a wildlife killing program they know is unsuccessful and potentially dangerous.  The legislation is not backed by the Department, scientific research, or the majority of citizens in Washington.

In short: this is a BAD BILL.

Write a Letter to Your Legislators

If you live in Washington state you can help by writing a short letter to your legislative representatives telling them why you oppose Senate Bill 6287.  These letters will be used to demonstrate opposition to the bill and encourage the legislature to kill it.

A few minutes of your time could make a big difference and help Washington’s cougars.

If you live in Washington, please contact your legislators and urge them to oppose SB 6287.

Click here to look up your legislators’ contact information

Please also send MLF a copy of your letter and cc emails to info@mountainlion.org.  Thank you!

In your letter or telephone call, please point out:

  • Senate Bill 6287 is a redundant authorization of public safety hound hunts — WDFW already has this tool at its discretion anytime they determine it appropriate and necessary to use hounds to help kill cougars.
  • Senate Bill 6287 would also force the Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement a wildlife killing program they know is unsuccessful and potentially dangerous.  The legislation is not backed by the Department, scientific research, or the majority of citizens in Washington.
  • Washington residents have repeatedly shown we do not support the use of hounds to track, tree, and kill wildlife for fun.  It’s a cruel and outdated unsportsmanlike hobby that needs to remain illegal.
  • This bill would allow hound hunters to kill cougars that have posed no threat to people, which may actually increase the percentage of problem cougars in our state.

CThumbnail of Comment Form. Click here to open.

Personalized, hard-copy letters (snail mail) have a larger impact than emails or opinions submitted through online comment forms.

But every effort helps.

So if you only have a few minutes to help, please use this form to submit your thoughts on SB 6287:

Washington Legislature – SB 6287 Comment Form

Thank you so very much for taking the time to help protect Washington’s cougars!

Restaurant’s seal-meat burger, named after Brigitte Bardot, sparks threats from animal-rights activists

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http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/16/restaurants-seal-meat-burger-named-after-brigitte-bardot-sparks-threats-from-animal-rights-activists/

MONTREAL — When Kim Côté and Perle Morency added a seal-meat burger to the menu of their popular bistro in Kamouraska, Que., they decided to have some fun with the name. The Phoque Bardot Burger — combining the French word for seal and the name of the actress known for her campaign against the Canadian seal hunt — became one of the restaurant’s top sellers.

But last month news of the couple’s creation made its way across the Atlantic, and animal-rights activists there failed to see the humour. A French Facebook page called “Defend the animals and protect nature” reported the burger was concocted from “the meat of massacred baby seals” and lamented that its name was disrespectful toward Brigitte Bardot.

“We are receiving a lot of hate messages, and we’re almost inclined to let them win, because we don’t feel like fighting,” Ms. Morency, co-owner of the Côté Est bistro, said in an interview Wednesday. “There is a lot of intimidation. I don’t want my restaurant to be blamed any more, for people to call and say, ‘You are crazy, you are inhumane, you are assassins.’ ”

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Anti-Hunting Group Gathers 78K Signatures to Ban Bear Baiting in Maine

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http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2014/02/group-delivers-more-78000-signatures-ban-bear-baiting-maine

by Gayne C. Young

Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, a group that vehemently opposes hunting bears over bait, with hounds, and by trapping, delivered more than 78,000 signatures to Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s office on Monday in an attempt to ban such methods on November’s ballot, The Bangor Daily News reports.

The group claims that the signatures were gathered in 417 cities and towns throughout the state over the last four months.

“This is a very important issue to Mainers across the state. Unfortunately, Maine has the notorious distinction of being the only state that allows all three of these inhumane, unsporting and unnecessary practices,” Katie Hansberry, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting Campaign Director, said upon delivering the signatures.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife disagrees. According to a fact sheet put out by the agency, roughly 80 percent of bears taken in the state are done so over bait. Eleven percent are done so with hounds. Three percent by trapping. Despite the high percentages for baiting and hunting with hounds, the statewide success rate for hunting bears with these methods stands at only 30 percent.

Because of this, and because these hunt methods are vital to the management of Maine’s bears, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, all three candidates for governor and the Maine AFL-CIO all oppose the ban.

Furthermore, David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Executive Director, said banning these methods would not only reduce the number of bears killed by hunters but would lead to an increase in nuisance bears that would have to be killed by the state.

Maine has 30 days to certify the petition before it can be placed on the ballot. A similar ban was rejected by voters in 2004.

Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, All Rights Reserved

Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, All Rights Reserved

Celebrities Want to Tie Trade Pact to Dolphin Hunt

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http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/celebrities-tie-trade-pact-dolphin-hunt-22385320

WASHINGTON February 6, 2014 (AP)

Associated Press

A group of American celebrities and other activists want President Barack Obama to refuse to sign an international trade agreement until Japan bans the capture and slaughter of dolphins in the fishing town of Taiji.

Backing the effort are Oscar-winning performers Sean Penn, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron as well as TV stars Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner, and many others.

The Oscar-winning 2009 documentary “The Cove” chronicled the dolphin roundup in Taiji and helped spark protests over the annual hunt and ensuing slaughter. Japanese law allows a hunting season for dolphins, and fishermen defend it as a tradition.

In a letter dated Wednesday that included dozens of names, hip-hop producer Russell Simmons asked the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, to urge Obama not to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, until Japan bans the hunt. Kennedy recently tweeted that she was deeply concerned about the dolphin hunt, which has drawn widespread news coverage.

Simmons’ letter said those signing don’t oppose the TPP but seek to make stopping the dolphin hunt a key factor in negotiations. The free trade agreement is being negotiated by 12 nations that account for about 40 percent of global gross domestic product.

The letter said that corporations have spent the past two years crafting language in the TPP “to serve their interests.”

“Should human compassion not be afforded the same privilege as business interests?” the letter stated. It added: “The world is looking to you, Ambassador Kennedy, and to our government to send a clear message to Japan that this atrocity must be banned now.”

After Kennedy’s tweet, a State Department spokeswoman told reporters that the U.S. was “concerned with both the sustainability and the humaneness of the Japanese dolphin hunts.”

Simmons said more than 600 dolphins have been slaughtered since the hunting season360_yangtze_dolphin_0810 began Sept. 1. Anti-hunt activists reported that dozens of fishermen helped to herd about 250 dolphins into a cove one day last month. Of those, about 40 were eventually killed for their meat. At least 50 others were kept alive for sale to aquariums and others, and the remaining dolphins were released.

Albania to Enforce a Two-Year Ban on All Hunting

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http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/5878/20140204/albania-enforce-two-year-ban-hunting.htm

By James A. Foley Feb 04, 2014

Hunter at Selawik National Wildlife Refuge

Albania’s government will impose a two-year moratorium on all forms of hunting in an effort to protect endangered species, according to media reports. Pictured is a hunter at Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, USA.  (Photo : US Fish and Wildlife Service )

Albania’s government will impose a two-year moratorium on all forms of hunting in an effort to protect endangered species, according to media reports.

Earlier this year, Albania’s environment minister Lefter Koka said the government was considering a two-year hunting ban after the numbers of wild animals in the European nation reportedly decreased significantly.

Albania says the move is drastic, but necessary to protect its animals, including endangered species such as brown bears and eagles.

“We have been forced to adopt strict measures to protect endangered species from illegal hunting,” Koka said, according to an AFP report Tuesday.

Albania is a popular European hunting destination, the AFP reported, noting that hunters from Italy travel to Albania by the thousands largely because of the nation’s relaxed and poorly enforced hunting regulations. Many of these foreign hunters participate in the activity illegally.

The hunting ban will be initiated later this month, the AFP reported.

“This is a drastic measure but necessary in order to stop the further degradation of  wildlife, which is now at a critical minimum, and to impose controls on hunting activities that have been lacking for the last two decades,” Kolka said in January.

Kolka blamed illegal hunting, the large number of hunting weapons in the country and the government’s inability to collect fines as the reason 30-50 percent of the species allowed to be hunted in Albania have faced drastic population declines, according to the website Balkan Insight.

“There are 75,000 registered hunting rifles in Albania, as well as a large number of illegal automatic weapons,” Koka said.

“Although the legal framework for the protection of wildlife has been improved over the last few years, the data unveils a situation that can only be restored through an emergency moratorium on hunting,” Koka added.