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STOP LAND AND SHOOT IN ALASKAAgainst public opinion, Governor Frank Murkowski has signed a bill allowing wolves to be hunted and killed from airplanes. The people of Alaska have twice voted to revoke this “land-and-shoot” wolf killing in the last seven years, but certain state officials want wolves killed in order to boost moose and caribou herds for hunters. During a “land and shoot” slaughter, hunters in planes or helicopters circle and harass a pack of wolves, and chase them until they exhaust themselves. A hunter then shoots the wolves from the aircraft, or lands on the ice and shoots the terrified wolves as they try to escape in deep snow. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s “Harvest Summary,” nearly 7,500 wolves were killed through hunting and trapping in the last five years, but according to the Summary, "Most of these harvest totals do not include unreported harvests which may equal or exceed the reported harvest...." WHAT
YOU CAN DO
Write letters to the editors of Alaska’s largest newspapers explaining the connection between hunting and Game Agency’s budgets, and about the cruelty of hunting. This information can be found on CASH’s website at www.all-creatures.org/cash Letters may not exceed 225 words, and, as a general rule, shorter letters are better letters Letters must include the writer's address and a day phone number (for verification, not publication). Newspapers will not print unsigned letters, open letters to third parties or letters submitted to other publications. Alaska Daily News – www.adn.com/help/v-letters/ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner www.news.miner.com/stories/0,1413,113%257E7321%257E,00.html Juneau Empire – letterstotheeditor@juneauempire.com Ketchikan Daily News - 501 Dock St., Ketchikan, Alaska 99901. The Nome Nugget – nugget@nomenugget.com POINTS TO MAKE: Alaska’s wolves are an essential predator and help to maintain healthy prey populations and biodiversity throughout their home range. Wolf Watching, rather than hunting, plays a significant role in the state’s tourism economy, as people come from all over the world to see these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. Hunting is a violent practice that is linked to violence toward humans. Thank you to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance for their efforts in this area. Information
for this alert was provided by
Contact: Joe Miele, Vice President 201-368-8271 Return to Crisis Center Action Alerts |