Done legally and ethically, there's nothing wrong with hunting

Outdoors in Alaska, by Howard Delo

I don't think my wife's longhaired dachshund, Tawny, has the right to vote in the next election. Tawny is not entitled to a free public education, nor is she owed any entitlement because she is a minority breed. However, Tawny is owed proper and humane health care, a warm and dry place to sleep, healthy and adequate amounts of food and exercise, and all the love and affection my wife and I can bestow upon her.

That's a thumbnail sketch of how I see the difference between animal rights and animal welfare. The only creatures on this earth with the same God-given rights I have are other human beings. All of God's other creatures were placed here and put under our control, to be used and cared for as we exercise a "wise stewardship" over creation. I also believe each of us will be held personally accountable for how "wise" our stewardship over these animals was.

Having said that, I believe that hunting and fishing for meat is perfectly acceptable, as long as the methods used are practiced in as humane a manner as possible. I also recognize the need to control numbers of some animals in an area to benefit other animals' ability to survive. Again, sensible and humane methods of population control are required.

Death by starvation is a long, slow and very painful process. Animals dying from disease are not a pretty sight. Literally being eaten alive, as occurs in many predator-prey encounters, is hardly a pleasant scenario.

Nature, judged by our human standards, is very cruel. Yet, in the natural world of wild animals, these things are a part of everyday life and death.

In contrast, a single, well-placed shot resulting in death within seconds seems extremely humane to me. However, that death must be for a legitimate purpose and occur within the legal open season dates. Anything else is unethical and illegal.

The ABWE troopers recently discovered an illegal sheep kill near Wolf Point along the Knik River. The animal was probably shot in mid-January and the meat was wasted. An adult cow moose was shot in Wasilla on Feb. 24 near Mulchatna and Lucille Streets and the meat was also left to waste. Anyone with information on either of these two poaching activities should contact either the troopers at 746-9137 or the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Safeguard program at 1-800-478-3377.

On a related note, the major animal rights groups in this country are squabbling with each other while one group speaks out of both sides of its mouth to the public.

The spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Parcelle, was quoted as saying that HSUS was not trying to stop deer hunting but was only trying to curb the more inhumane and unsportsmanlike practices associated with it. Yet, their Web site states that HSUS strongly opposes the recreational hunting and killing of any wild animals and does not differentiate between types of hunting. You can't have it both ways, guys.

PETA is upset with HSUS for sponsoring Pet Fest America with Iams, a dog food company. PETA is also mad at HSUS for partnering with PetSafe, which makes bark control collars and containment systems, and with Veterinary Pet Insurance whose CEO is a hunter.

Because the Audubon Society has opened a 285-acre parcel it owns in Connecticut for archery hunting to control the expanding deer herd damaging the property's carrying capacity, the Fund for Animals has started openly maligning the society. And, finally, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is attempting to take over the Sierra Club in a less than friendly corporate venture.

On another note, two West Virginia University assistant professors are developing a new course for the fall 2004 semester to teach about hunting's positive aspects.

The "Tradition of Hunting" course will include the evolution of hunting in society, hunting's role in wildlife management, traditions, ethics, animal rights, gun control, and hunting's economic impact.

Anyone know of something similar planned for the Mat-Su campus?

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist. You can leave a message for him by calling 352-2268 or by e-mailing editor@frontiersman.com.