These programmes are teaching people that these animals are like us - persons in their own right. If you live in an urban environment and only confront animals through this filtered view, it would be easy to accept without even thinking about it that conservation is solely about preservation and humans that kill for sport and food are evil. My wish of the New Zealand Fish and Game movement is that it spends more effort and time in showing the New Zealand public what a good job they do in looking after the New Zealand environment. I also hope they will take a more proactive public role in weeding out preservation, conservation and animal rights arguments in public debates. It is certainly not morally worse than eating animals or plants produced by an unsustainable agricultural system, in my book anyway.
Lets keep cool and stand proud of our efforts for New Zealand wildlife.