Feral Cat Law and Texas Animal Cruelty Bill
It looks like Wiscsonsin will take the next step to listing feral cats as nusiance species. However, the plan faces uphill opposition from urban lawmakers.
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050413-122945-1783r
"MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin residents ignored passionate opposition from cat lovers and supported a plan that would allow hunters to take out wild felines that kill birds and other small mammals. Residents who attended the meetings of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress voted Monday night to allow hunters to kill cats at will, just like skunks or gophers -- something the Humane Society of the United States called cruel and archaic. A total of 6,830 persons voted for the plan and 5,201 voted against it. Fifty-one counties approved the plan, 20 rejected it, and one had a tie, according to results released last night by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). At the Monday night meetings, animal lovers held pictures of cats, clutched stuffed animals and wore whiskers as they denounced the plan. Katy Francis of Madison was one of about 1,200 people who attended the Monday evening meeting at Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. She wore cat ears, whiskers and a cat nose and held a sign that read, "Too Cute to Kill." "The cat hunting thing brought me out because it was very extreme," Miss Francis said. The congress, which acts as an advisory group to the DNR, asked residents in 72 counties whether free-roaming cats -- including any domestic cat that isn't under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar -- should be listed as an unprotected species. If so listed, the cats could be hunted, as they have been for decades in South Dakota and Minnesota. Firefighter Mark Smith proposed the hunting idea at the La Crosse County congress last year, noting that feral cats killed small mammals and birds. Mr. Smith has faced death threats over the plan.... "
This is an example of one of the fault lines between urban and rural voters.
Rural voters like myself get the feeling that urbanites see the country as a place to dump their trash including strays.
If you have spent a few thousand dollars to reintroduce quail into your farm, only to lose them to a few cats, it makes you very upset. If you have two strays show up and chase your calves around, it makes you upset. But if you shoot them, then some nutjob city slicker will get upset - but ignore the economic damage that causes you as well as the all the other stress.
Texas is considering a new law to broaden the definition of animal cruelty. Hunters are already against it because it is vaguely written. It is just matter of time until the Texas Farm Bureau opposes it as well.
The problem I have with the bill is that is makes it unlawful to harm strays. Ask any rancher how many dogs he has killed and most cannot tell you the number. Ask a rancher how many calves he seen chased by dogs and he cannot tell you the number.
Will they pass a law making it illegal for a dog to chase livestock?
The Texas law must make exemptions for farmers, ranchers, and hunters. Or there will be trouble.
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050413-122945-1783r
"MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin residents ignored passionate opposition from cat lovers and supported a plan that would allow hunters to take out wild felines that kill birds and other small mammals. Residents who attended the meetings of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress voted Monday night to allow hunters to kill cats at will, just like skunks or gophers -- something the Humane Society of the United States called cruel and archaic. A total of 6,830 persons voted for the plan and 5,201 voted against it. Fifty-one counties approved the plan, 20 rejected it, and one had a tie, according to results released last night by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). At the Monday night meetings, animal lovers held pictures of cats, clutched stuffed animals and wore whiskers as they denounced the plan. Katy Francis of Madison was one of about 1,200 people who attended the Monday evening meeting at Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. She wore cat ears, whiskers and a cat nose and held a sign that read, "Too Cute to Kill." "The cat hunting thing brought me out because it was very extreme," Miss Francis said. The congress, which acts as an advisory group to the DNR, asked residents in 72 counties whether free-roaming cats -- including any domestic cat that isn't under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar -- should be listed as an unprotected species. If so listed, the cats could be hunted, as they have been for decades in South Dakota and Minnesota. Firefighter Mark Smith proposed the hunting idea at the La Crosse County congress last year, noting that feral cats killed small mammals and birds. Mr. Smith has faced death threats over the plan.... "
This is an example of one of the fault lines between urban and rural voters.
Rural voters like myself get the feeling that urbanites see the country as a place to dump their trash including strays.
If you have spent a few thousand dollars to reintroduce quail into your farm, only to lose them to a few cats, it makes you very upset. If you have two strays show up and chase your calves around, it makes you upset. But if you shoot them, then some nutjob city slicker will get upset - but ignore the economic damage that causes you as well as the all the other stress.
Texas is considering a new law to broaden the definition of animal cruelty. Hunters are already against it because it is vaguely written. It is just matter of time until the Texas Farm Bureau opposes it as well.
The problem I have with the bill is that is makes it unlawful to harm strays. Ask any rancher how many dogs he has killed and most cannot tell you the number. Ask a rancher how many calves he seen chased by dogs and he cannot tell you the number.
Will they pass a law making it illegal for a dog to chase livestock?
The Texas law must make exemptions for farmers, ranchers, and hunters. Or there will be trouble.
posted by Red River at 10:53 AM
1 Comments:
In Northern California, where I lived in a rural area for a few years, I saw signs posted by the county on the highway warning that dogs harassing livestock could legally be shot.
The arrogance of people (urban or rural) is a result of most folks' failure to consider there might be anything outside their own finite experience or view of reality.
Unfortunately, urban dwellers suffer acutely from this deficit because they live in an environment where EVERYTHING is artificial, and they are mostly protected by law from the consequences of their own obstinate foolishness.
How many suburbanites or city dwellers have ever butchered their own livestock or seen it done even for a picnic? Most of 'em think shrink-wrapped hamburger meat grows like fruit on a tree.
For most suburbanites and city dwellers, self-sufficiency means they know how to balance their checkbooks and do their own shopping without a personal assistant.
it may be a myth, but after a blizzard a few years back, there were reports in the MSM about at least one couple that starved because they had only an electric can opener.
Sounds extreme, but I know some folks who could accomplish that.
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