Killing wildlife has always been a controversy amongst U.S. citizens. Hunters are on one side and gun protestors are on the other. They can’t seem to come to an agreement and understand one another so instead, the fight is ongoing which leads to more and more anger over time.
Over recent years, laws have been put in place to allow hunting but also protect wildlife at the same time. Both sides were somewhat content with the rules, but recently there was a change and now it is legal to shoot hibernating bears and invade the habitats of innocent Alaskan animals to kill them for no reason. As to be expected, animal lovers everywhere are fuming.
But, that’s not all. Savage and barbaric hunting tactics on Alaskan federal wildlife refugees are now permitted and have gone against the regulations that were put in place to protect our wildlife in a U.S. Senate vote of 52-47, which was passed on Tuesday.
It’s hard to fathom that it will now be legal to kill hibernating bears and wolves in their dens for no reason. In addition to the unethical new law, hunters will be allowed to lure grizzly bears with food while shooting them at a close distance. Steel-jawed leg hold traps will now be allowed on these lands and it has been confirmed that hunters will be able to shoot bears from the safety of an airplane.
Sounds a bit like we are going backward instead of moving forward as far as the protection of our wildlife goes. Prior to the final vote, U.S. Senator Cory Booker sided with animal lovers everywhere and warned his cohorts that the bill contained cruel, savage and inhumane practices for killing animals. U.S. House Representative Don Young is responsible for introducing the resolution and it just so happens that he is a former animal trapper. Coincidence?
When word got out about the new law, The Humane Society of the United States stepped up and stated the following…
“What the Senate did today should outrage the conscience of every animal lover in America.”
Based on a poll conducted in Alaska, the majority of people agreed that these practices should be banned, yet the Senate still passed the regulation going against the public’s favor.
“Inhumane hunting methods have caused the overkilling of native Alaskan predators; this rule takes a balanced approach allowing for traditional, permit-based hunting.”
Special interest groups are working at both the federal and state levels, hoping that federally managed lands be handed over wholesale to state or private ownership. They are hoping to strip the government of their authority over the land and the wildlife.
“Unfortunately, without the protections of federal law and the public engagement it ensures, this heritage is incredibly vulnerable,” said past FWS Director, Dan Ashe.
The overturning of the previous laws concerning wildlife protection is considered barbaric to animal lovers worldwide. It looks like this newly permitted act of violence will add to an already divided America.
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