Washington Examiner – by Paul Bedard
The exiting Obama administration gave animal rights groups a major victory Wednesday, ending predator hunts over 76 million acres of Alaska wildlife refuges and handing hunters, the National Rifle Association and the state’s own Board of Game a huge defeat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled an end to aggressive hunts of predators like bears and wolves, nixing hunting by plane and helicopter, baiting, killing mother bears with their cubs and wolves and wolf pups in their dens.
#Wolves & other predators are part of the #Alaska landscape. We're acting to protect them on YOUR #Wildlife Refuges. https://t.co/yJHTz7DuWQ
— Dan Ashe (@DirectorDanAshe) August 3, 2016
“This is not sportsmanship. It is purportedly aimed at increasing populations of caribou and moose but defies modern science of predator-prey relationships,” said USFWS Director Dan Ashe.
At issue was the state’s policies of allowing predators to be hunted aggressively and by means some find unethical so that there would be fewer bears and wolves to kill the moose, caribou and deer sought by two-legged hunters.
“There comes a time when the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must stand up for the authorities and principles that underpin our work and say ‘No,'” said Ashe.
Animal rights groups heralded the action.
BREAKING: @POTUS grounds aerial hunting, other inhumane predator-killing practices on refuges in #Alaska https://t.co/WqyTUkAvU7
— Wayne Pacelle (@waynepacelle) August 3, 2016
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This is a landmark day for some of the nation’s most majestic, recognizable, and woefully mistreated wild animals. And ‘landmark’ barely says enough.”
Defenders of Wildlife said, “Anti-wildlife representatives in Congress and Alaska’s state government have been fighting this rule since it was first proposed in January, and will surely continue to do so. We commend the Fish and Wildlife Service for finalizing this important rule, which upholds bedrock environmental laws like the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act and the Wilderness Act. This action sends a clear message that science, not politics, governs our public lands.”
The new rule does not stop hunting in the 16 federally protected wildlife refuges in Alaska, only the practice of “intensive predator management.”
A Win for Alaska Wildlife!https://t.co/3rvTu6Q2HL#INDIGENOUS #TAIRP pic.twitter.com/Ul9rhwIGlg
— Indigenous (@AmericanIndian8) August 3, 2016
According to the state department of fish and game, “Predator control programs authorized under intensive management regulations are currently active in eight specific areas in Alaska, covering approximately 10% of the state’s land area. These programs are designed to reduce predation by wolves or bears and increase moose, caribou, or deer populations that are a needed food source for Alaskans.”
Alaska lawmakers have tried to stop the administration, but Ashe’s department move forward.
State officials such as Sen. Dan Sullivan has charged that the federal government is taking too much control from the state in an ever increasing “creep.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com
Folks (as you that come here daily likely know), this isn’t about protecting wildlife. This is about keeping us “little people” from hunting so that the criminal psycho elites (who care possibly less that wildlife as they do us “useless eaters”–which means they car not at all…psychopaths only care about themselves) can hunt to their hears content (and, for some, drink the blood afterwards…)
False.
Subsistence hunting remains legal, hunting for edible ungulates remains legal.
Only regulation of the excessive and nonhunting (it must be admitted that aerial “hunting” is NOT hunting, but an obscene attempt at eradication of native natural populations of wildlife; predators are limited by prey while not affecting non-overhunted populations of those prey (largely ungulates).
The wealthy trophy hunters are most emphatically NOT “little people” unless by little one means their ethical and moral aspects are extremely minimal.
TO identify oneself as “little” people is also disingenuous. It is highly doubtful that any who rent air transport, purchase offroad motor vehicles or have several vehicles or costly weapons technology can accurately self-identify as disenfranchised or poor.
Hitler’s Joe Goebbels and Karl Rove both have pointed out that repeating lies is sufficient to confuse an ignorant public to follow the most evil and unethical politicians . Taking part in such falsehood puts one in league with such immoral and deceptive icons of deceit and evil.
“This action sends a clear message that science, not politics, governs our public lands.”
Communism is currently (by theft) ‘governing’ our public (not anymore) lands, jewtoadie©.
“State officials such as Sen. Dan Sullivan has charged that the federal government is taking too much control from the state in an ever increasing “creep.”
Incrementalism.
Communism 101.
Alaska is my original home state… born in Fairbanks.
I was born and raised there myself. Grew up eating moose and salmon.
Wish I could say the same. My parents were stationed at Ladd AFB, that’s the only reason I was born there.
I was less than a year old when they got out and moved to Commiefornia.