When confronted by anti-hunters, the hunters would attempt to claim
the moral high ground by asserting that they are the "original
conservationists". In the following case, however, blood lust is the
prime motivation of the American hunters, and the almighty dollar is the
prime motivation of the Canadian hunting industry. Neither has
conservation on the top of his mind.
Hunters here claim that polar bears need being culled to stay
healthy. I would like them to provide one shred of evidence that the
polar bear population has exceeded the biological carrying capacity of
their natural habitat, i.e., kindly produce a credible number of
emaciated polar bears (not just a few, since I don't trust hunters not
to just capture several and starve them in a cage for a month or two) to
indicate that they are overpopulated without the hunters' "management".
There are enough polar bears drowning due to global warming, without
the hunters shooting them as well, thank you.
"The Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to list all of the bears as
threatened is based on speculation that climate change may be an issue."
This "speculation", I believe, is solid.
Anthony
Sportsmen Outraged at Proposal to Ban Bear Hunting - (01/26) National
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is on its hind legs after the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed to list polar bears, including
populations in Canada that are stable and increasing, as a federally
threatened species. If approved, the listing will stop American
sportsmen from hunting polar bears in Canada.
On Dec. 27, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed
that the polar bear be listed as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act. Instead of limiting threatened status to only
the distinct population segments that are decreasing, FWS's
recommendation will put all of the bears, including healthy, hunting
populations, under the same restrictions.
"There are 19 distinct polar bear populations, and the healthy ones,
well-managed by Canada, provide exciting hunting opportunities, " said
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Director of Federal Affairs William Horn. "The
unwarranted, blanket listing sought by the Fish and Wildlife Service
will bring an immediate end to the hunts that help the populations
remain stable."
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is preparing comments to submit to the
FWS opposing the proposal. A final decision on the listing will be made
in Dec. 2007 after a 12-month public comment period and scientific
review.
Barring U.S. sportsmen from polar bear hunting in Canada will cause
more harm than good. For example, the polar bear populations in the
Canadian Arctic are thriving in part because American hunters, who
cannot pursue the animals in the U.S. due to restrictions in the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, spend thousands of dollars to hunt the
animals abroad. The money is then invested in the resource to ensure
healthy populations. If U.S. citizens are shut out of these hunts, a
primary funding source for polar bear management will be eliminated and
the now-healthy populations will then, in fact, be at risk.
The FWS proposal is in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental
groups. In 2005, the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources
Defense Council, and Greenpeace sued the agency after it failed to
respond to petitions that sought protection for the polar bear under the
Endangered Species Act. The groups believe the animals are threatened by
the shrinking of Arctic sea ice as a result of prospective climate
change.
"FWS says shrinking sea ice that might occur over the next 40 years,
caused by climate change, is the primary factor that may impact polar
bears," adds Horn. "There is tangible evidence that hunting is
beneficial to the healthy polar bear populations, but the Fish and
Wildlife Service's proposal to list all of the bears as threatened is
based on speculation that climate change may be an issue. Even if it is,
listing the animals as threatened and cutting off hunting opportunities
will not solve the problem associated with climate change."
Return to Anti Trophy Hunting
Since 