I have just finished reading the book Never Cry Wolf, written by Farley Mowat.
I was furious, I mean real furious, because there are so many of us out there that have no idea that these hunting practices that Farley writes about, actually took place. Are they still taking place?
You may have read back in February, in this paper, an article pertaining to the use of poisonous lead bullets for hunting purposes.
In the book I mention here, Mowat describes how hunting is done using a helicopter. A helicoptor is used to circle, thus terrifying, herds of caribou, and then when they have succeeded in herding the animals into a massive group, then these so called hunters just sit in the open doors of the helicopter and fire their guns till they’re satisfied, and then the helicopter lands, the hunters/killers, jump out of the helicopter and choose from the mass of dead animals, which antlers they want to take home as a trophy and maybe they take home the hind quarters, if they wish.
The balance of the likely lead poisoned dead herd is left behind for the other wild life to feed on and to feed to their offspring. They call that “hunting.” How absolutely disgusting. And then, because it was noticed that there was a decline in the caribou herds, it was blamed on the wolfs. Wolfs don’t do mass killings nor leave the bones from their kill piled up like those being herded by helicoptors. So then a fee was being paid for wolf pelts, not to mention the other animals which were being killed off, for their pelts which human beings were wanting.
I am asking myself, why does our government still allow this sort of hunting?
Is it for those tourist hunters that come in, pay their big money for their allotted licenseing, and no questions asked?
Again, are they using lead poison bullets.
Animals don’t kill for the sake of just killing. Animals only kill other animals to feed themselves and their families. Only humans kill just for the sake of killing, also for greed. One just has to pay attention to the news and see the reports on how much food ends up in our garbage. Another question I have, is any of this history taught in our schools? If not, why not? It should be. It’s the only way others can learn from humans wrong doings.
Joan Johnson
Penticton