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When bowhunting pioneer Fred Bear first spoke those words, groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the world’s two largest anti-hunting organizations, were most likely just beginning to implant their cerebral farts into the brains of those so easily beguiled.
In fact, PETA and their minions, or rather, Petards as I like to call them, were probably mere infants in the extortion game, only first soiling this earth in 1980.
HSUS, however, were already well in tune with thievery, having started their anti-hunting/trapping crusade in 1954.
Fred Bear passed on in 1988.
His words, however, still live on today and continue to hold great meaning for those of us who consider hunting, fishing and trapping as honourable traditions. Traditions that help keep us connected to the land and help us understand who we are and what our role is on this planet. After all, we are predators by our very nature... and that includes those Petards who are so quick to condemn our actions to the gates of hell. For they too will have at some point in their lives benefited from animal use, be it through medicine or any number of products readily available in retail stores, be they clothing, footwear, cosmetics, gardening etc. To void yourself from the use of animals or their byproducts would be foolish, perhaps even harmful to your well-being.
But in this world-gone-mad, where our actions as hunters, anglers and trappers are forever under attack, there appears to be another movement afoot.
In that sunny region of the western United States known as California, it seems there are certain individuals that would like to see pet ownership banned, including Mr. Bubbles, your pet goldfish.
The U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance, an organization that “provides direct lobbying and grassroots coalition support to protect and advance the rights of hunters, trappers, anglers, and scientific wildlife management professionals”, says, “San Francisco’s Animal Control Commission has discussed possibly banning the sale of all pets, including fish. Yes, animal shelters there have apparently received gold fish in dirty bowls, and those owners did not want to flush the fish down the toilet. The obvious over-reaction is to ban everything.”
It appears animal-rights activists are pushing to have pet stores put out of business in the San Francisco region, suggesting they are the reason animal shelters are overcrowded.
“Pet store owners, and many current dog owners, view this law as one more step in the animal rights movement to force their agenda on everyone—everywhere,” says the Alliance.
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Do you own a hunting dog?
If you do, according to the Petards, you’re cruel! |
A quick look at PETA’s website confirms those suspicions. According to PETA, “This selfish desire to possess animals and receive love from them causes immeasurable suffering, which results from manipulating their breeding, selling or giving them away casually, and depriving them of the opportunity to engage in their natural behavior.”
Never mind how they feel about you, the hunter who owns dogs for the purpose of hunting, be it upland birds, ducks, whatever...
“Dogs used for hunting are often kept chained or penned and are denied routine veterinary care like vaccines and heartworm medication. Some are lost during hunts and never found while others are turned loose at the end of hunting season to fend for themselves and die of starvation or get struck by a vehicle.”
Bad, bad dog owners you hunters are...
Those of you who follow this column know I hold little regard for animal-rights activists, extreme environmentalists, the protectionist crowd and others who balk at hunters, anglers and trappers from their concrete jungles.
Those who want man’s footprint removed from those wild places where a deep breath of fresh air makes you feel alive and well.
Of fresh air, it appears our group of Australian Petards is quite concerned with the air our Down Under friends are breathing.
According to PETA’s Australian spokesman, Desmond Bellamy, “Ruminants such as sheep and cattle are responsible for 10 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions just from the burping and the farting.”
It appears PETA wants a fart tax applied to meat producers as part of the Federal Government’s carbon pollution reduction scheme.
“A German study also confirmed that a meat-eater’s diet was responsible for seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than a vegan’s diet,” said Bellamy.
So, if you enjoy a fine steak or a moose roast with gravy and mashed, compared to our vegan friends, your contribution to global warming is considerable and a meat-eater fart tax should be applied to you, or perhaps, lose the meat with supper, go vegan, and avoid the tax.
Supper without meat! I daresay not!
As Jake said on an episode of Two and a Half Men, “I’m making air-biscuits! Get ‘em while they’re hot!”
That one’s for you Bellamy, you non-flatulent fool! ■
For previous Outdoor Pursuits click here.
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