The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-11-11
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WHDLIFE IN THE KEYS
BY E. NJ. NJ.
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l wish to draw the attention of
the people of Key West to a
condition so deplorable that it
mas become an offenSe to every
right-minded visitor who comes
to the place. l refer, first, to the
practice of shooting in the city
limits of Key West, and to the
absolute disregard, on the part of
certain elements in the local pop
ulation, for the rights and safety
of both residents and visitors;
secondly, to the indifferent atti-
tude of these elements toward
the best interests of the commun-
ity, and thirdly, to an apparent
lack of ordinary law enforcement
activity which is becoming in
creasnigly shocking to resident
and visitor alike.
When l first came to Key West
| was amazed to find an Ameri-
can city in which shooting was
permitted anywhere and every
where, in and out of season, and
INDUCED in by people who, in
many cases, were so careless that
they should not have been per-
mitted to use guns at all. The
highway presented the same pic
ture and still does, though Flor
ida State law prohibits shooting
within a certain specified dist
ances of highways However, be-
ing a conSeryatienist, l. am chief
ly interested in these matters in
their relation to wildlife and to
the efforts of tn Audubon So
ciety to bring back the depleted
avifauna to the lower Keys. In
line with this interest / have
tried to show the people of Key
West that adequate protection of
wildlife would bring rich rewards
to a city which is sadly in need
of beauty and of elements of in
terest to hold the lasting atten-
ton of visitors who are accus-
toned to a return for their
money. However, it seems to be
still impossible for more or less
rare bird 10 visit the area with
out being shot. Recently there
were four Flamingo in the vicin-
ity of Key West, and two of these
birds, as a matter of fact, came
into the city limits on one occa-
sion. Three of them are no long
er in evidence, and the fourth is
to be seen in pen on Stock Is
land where it is hoped it may re-
cover from gun-shot wound.
This bird was shot just outside
Key West on the highway.
Key West does not seem to
realize that the dirty, unsightly
ponds within her limits could be
made into natural beauty spots
by making it possible for such
birds as Flamingo, Roseate
Spoonbill, Ibis and the various
Herons to find a haven where
one would naturally expect il to
exist, nor does she seem to think
that she should respect the feel
ings and wishes of the people
whom she is asking to come in,
and who, for the most part, are
shocked and distressed by these
conditions. This last has a di-
rect tie-up with conservation for
the reason that thousands of peo-
pie all over the land are contri-
buting money TO bring back
Florida's wildlife, and these peo-
pie naturally feel that they have
the right to expect cooperation
on the part of communities which
benefit by the expenditure of this
money. The National Association
of Audubon Societies Is, and has
been spending approximately ST.
/ 900 per month in lower Florida
in an effort to reinstate local
wildlife and place it on a safe
footing. Practically none of this
money comes from Key West;
j and the writer believes that he is
not unreasonable in asking that