From: mlhb@mammoth.dr.att.com (Sky Warrior)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Cruelty to animals in VA?   Long, but important.
Date: 14 Oct 92 14:00:14 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.034454.6476@wam.umd.edu>, kckbxr@next07wor.wam.umd.edu (Robin Hood) writes:
|> I found this article in last Saturday's edition (10/10/92) of the  
|> Washington Post.  It's a fairly long article, so I'll leave out some of  
|> the non-essential quotes and stuff.  I thought it was an *interesting*  
|> article and was curious to what the reaction was about this from  
|> everybody.  Here goes:
|> 
|>    " Bear Chasing Season Hounded by Allegations of Endangerment
|>             (by D'Vera Cohn - Wash. Post staff writer)
|> 
|>   Virginia's first legal bear chasing season, in which hunters with packs  
|> of hounds were permitted to run down black bears without killing them,  
|> ended this month amid allegations that it endangered some bears and led to  
|> the death of others chased onto highways.
|>   In 22 counties-the closest one only 50 miles from Washington-hunters  
|> with big-game licenses were allowed to chase bears during daylight hours,  
|> or at night by special permit.  Bears were not supposed to be injured and  
|> no weapons were allowed.  An official of one hunting group estimated that  
|> 300 to 400 hunters had participated by the time the season ended a week  
|> ago today.  During the month-long trial, at least 15 bears died after  
|> being struck by cars in the area of the bear chases-more than usual for  
|> this time of the year.  Although all sides said a shortage of acorns and  
|> other food has driven bears into new territory and potentially onto the  
|> roads, critics said they believe some of the bears killed were being  
|> chased by dogs.
|>   Virginia's black bear, population is estimated at 3,500 and growing.   
|> Critics say the chase season exhausts bears at a time when they need to be  
|> fattening up for winter, separates mothers and cubs and can lead to bloody  
|> fights between bears and dogs.
|>   According to the Fund for Animals, which opposes all hunting with  
|> hounds, California dropped its pursuit season several years ago because  
|> bear chasers were killing bears.  New Mexico ended its season because  
|> officials feared harm to the bear population.  In proposing a chase season  
|> trial, Virginia officials said they had found no problems in other states.   
|> Black bear hunting is banned in Maryland, but both West Virginia and North  
|> Carolina allow hunting and chasing.
|>   Defenders of bear chasing say it allows dogs kept penned up all year to  
|> "be let out and exercised as a kindness to the animal, a means of  
|> recreation for owners and a means of training new dogs," according to Tom  
|> Evans, a lobbyist for the Houndsmen and Sporting Dog Association.
|>   "The reason you do it is to hear your hounds run...to get your dogs in  
|> shape and listen to them run," said G.P. Fisher, a Staunton, Va.,  
|> businessman who said he went out on all but two days of the recently ended  
|> season and treed 11 bears.
|>   Fisher said bears are not harmed by the chase, sometimes turning on the  
|> dogs pursuing them.  Two of his dogs were crippled by bears this year, he  
|> said.
|>   That is part of the problem, according to Wayne Pacelle, national  
|> director of the Fund for Animals: The practice is cruel to dogs too.   
|> Pacelle said studies show the typical chase lasts two hours and can go up  
|> to 10 hours.  Increasingly, he said, the pursuit is being turned into a  
|> "high-tech" hunt by use of radio collars on dogs.
|>   Robert Duncan, chief of the department's wildlife division, said the  
|> department recently relocated 215 black bears to southwest Virginia.  He  
|> acknowledged that officials decided not to allow bear chases there because  
|> it might endanger the effort to reestablish the bear population in the  
|> area.    "
|> 
|> This concludes the article.  Again, I deleted some quotes that were  
|> non-essential to the reader.  Well?  What do you think?  Cruelty to  
|> animals (bears/dogs)?  
|> 
|> Bill


You know, I can't understand doing this if you can't shoot the bear and
use the meat.  The idea behind hunting is *game management*, not "let's 
harass a bear".  In Colorado (where I live) that sort of thing is illegal
(it is called harrassment of wildlife/game) and carries a stiff fine.

I am all for hunting bear, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, antelope, and elk for 
culling the herd and for table meat (very tasty).  I'm cross posting this to 
rec.hunting because I would like to hear hunters' opinions on this subject
as well.

As for the 2-10 hour hunt:  Most dogs in good shape can run for long periods 
of time without any physical side effects.  This is not cruel because their
bodies are made to do just that.  I wish humans had the endurance and power
I've seen in the canine species.  If you want to relate it to a wild canine,
like the wolf, wolves travel 100s of mile a day without stopping.

As for the injures, I'm sorry but life is not safe.  Sometimes in real life, 
animals/people get accidently injured; we can't protect everything/everybody 
without restricting individuals rights.  If this was true we wouldn't go outside 
or wouldn't even own pets (you could *accidently* harm it, you know).

Ok, I'm off my soap box now... 

-- 
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