Fund For Animals Condemns Catskill Park Hunting Plans

by ANC Staff and Fund for Animals

The Fund for Animals, a national animal protection organization with more than 20,000 members and supporters in New York State, is condemning the Bureau of Wildlife (BOW) for its plan to promote hunting and trapping in Catskill Park.

In comments sent to BOW on October 8, The Fund accused the agency of ignoring the wishes of the majority of the public, who prefer to watch wildlife rather than killing them.

"Despite clear evidence that people are much more interested in using cameras rather than guns to shoot animals, the plan persists in encouraging hunting and trapping opportunities. BOW needs to drop its hunting club mentality," said Dora Schomberg, New York State Coordinator for The Fund for Animals.

"Nationally, hunters only make up 4.6 percent of the population, compared to the 31 percent who are wildlife watchers."

Schomberg pointed out that while the plan also includes the introduction of species in the Catskill environment, the intention historically has been to establish populations of animals for future hunting and killing opportunities.

A letter sent to BOW by a Buffalo area woman related the tragedy of a deer who was shot by a hunter and fell down a ravine. The deer was left to suffer on the frozen ground with a shattered rear leg and mutilated hindquarters for 18 hours until a rehabilitator found him.

The woman has also witnessed deer with jaws shot off and arrows in their necks.

"This letter demonstrates the need for BOW to stop denying the injuries that are caused to individual animals and the people who care about them," said Schomberg.

With the decline in the number of hunters nationwide, Schomberg stated that BOW is now scrambling to recruit children into hunting.

"Rather than persist in scrambling to maintain recreational hunting and trapping, BOW needs to stop catering to a tiny interest group and start supporting the millions of New Yorkers who do not hunt or trap. This is not the time to resuscitate blood sports," Schomberg said.

"Although BOW is financed by millions of dollars of the public’s tax money, the non-hunting public’s viewpoint is consistently ignored. As long as animals are regarded as moving targets to be destroyed, BOW is not serving the public well."

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.