THE MICHIGAN WOLF HUNT: I AM VOTING NO ON PROPOSAL 1 AND PROPOSAL 2. MY NEXT 750 WORDS SHARE WHY. (And after reading watch the short video--not mine.) But first the background: The proposals are referendums on two separate laws. The first law designated wolves as a game species and authorized hunting seasons. The second law gave those same powers to the Natural Resources Commission, which approved the state’s first wolf hunt last year. Casting two NO votes would repeal both wolf hunting laws, which were suspended after a group called Keep Michigan Wolves Protected launched two separate petition drives and collected enough signatures to put the referendums on the ballot. Two YES votes will reinstate both laws and immediately makes wolf hunting legal again. Here’s why I am voting NO on the two wolf hunting referendums on tomorrow’s ballot: Hunter’s like to say the hunt is about the meat. I know no one that eats wolves. The proposed wolf hunt is not biologically sound. It’s about trophy hunting. It’s about the ‘fun sport’ of killing wolves. That is pathetic and as Dr. Rolf Peterson , the head of the longest running predator-prey study in the nation, an expert on the wolves of Isle Royal National Park stated, “There is little reason to be proud about a wolf hunt in Michigan and considerable reason to be sad and angry.” Dare I say much of the fuel for the fire to hunt wolves is about men wanting to boast about the big bad wolf they killed—as TROPHIES. And it is also fueled by bear hunters who have lost their hunting dogs to wolves---while their hunting dogs were charging and barking through wolf pack territory in pursuit of a bear. Even the Michigan DNR states, “ Most wolf-dog conflicts occur where dogs are trained or used for bear hunting, which overlaps with the time wolf pups are using homesites.” Perhaps some of those so eager to kill wolves are still wrapped up in their infantile thought process from the days they sat at mama’s knees and learned of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Or perhaps they just want to kill a wolf—and then post it on Facebook to show what a macho man they are and then have the head mounted with mouth gaping and big teeth exposed. Coexisting with our predators—with their long scary claws and big sharp teeth seems to be more of a psychological problem, than a real problem. There is a richness of illusions of reality when it comes to wolves. “Ï saw one LURKING in the woods.” No one uses the word lurking to describe the sight of a deer or chipmunk or porcupine in the woods. But with wolves—well they ‘lurk’. Something else came to mind as I scribbled thoughts to share. Perhaps some of the blood lust for the hunt is from a perceived lack of control over wild creatures that are smart and powerful and compete for ‘our’ deer and from those with a touch of paranoia and connect invisible dots between the proposed wolf hunt NOT happening and a secret conspiracy to take away their guns. It is too late to encourage eager wanabee wolf-killers (I won’t call them hunters—hunters eat what they kill) to accept the sensibility of coexistence with an apex predator, but it’s not too late for you to vote No on Proposal 1 and 2. I know many hunters that are voting NO. And I know many who are voting YES, FACT: There is no scientific basis for the Michigan wolf hunt; a hunt that does not target specific wolves that may have developed a taste for livestock. It is sport hunting for trophies. And the Michigan Legislature first authorized a wolf hunt based on mostly fabricated stories about human-wolf encounters. And now that my personal rant is over take two minutes to view this very calm video from John Vucetich, an Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Michigan Tech. He explains with dignity and kindness and respect why the public wolf hunt is very bad idea. Perhaps you will leave with a better understanding and increased tolerance of predatory wildlife, unless of course you just want to kill a wolf. And if after reading this and you still want to kill a wolf perhaps it’s time for a bit of honest soul-searching as to why you wish to squeeze the trigger on Canis lupus, our eastern gray wolf. And if it is a macho thing so you do not want to come across like me ( a science based tree-hugger), tell your hunting buddies you voted YES, but when the curtain closes, Vote No. :)
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 11:56:21 +0000
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