FYI---
There is a coyote killing derby coming up in Bristol, Vermont. There will be a protest held in Bristol, at the Town Green on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1-3pm.
It is an open call to slaughter as many coyotes as possible including using dogs and computerized calls. This protest is in opposition to the senseless killing: NOT to hunting in general, but to THIS sort of “hunting.”
This is slaughter, not conservation or management as they would have us believe. Such claims are either thin rationalizations, (as is apparent from many of the social media postings of Vermont coyote hunters) or truly held but misunderstood beliefs about ecology. This sort of hunting is not conservation; it is “wanton waste” as defined and prohibited in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation which purportedly guides the Fish & Wildlife Dept. Typically, the carcasses are discarded once the competition is over. Following is a disturbing photo, yet sometimes necessary to view in order to stir up our compassion. You may have to copy/paste the address.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2j4z322fcmvx9cv/Coyotes%20in%20truck.jpg?dl=0
Coyotes in Vermont, (and wolves before them), have been historically blamed for any decline in the deer population, yet wildlife biologist Kim Royar, Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the F&W Department and former leader of the furbearer team, contested the myth of coyotes having any significant impact on the deer herd. While she agrees that coyote hunting, in general, has kept the animals wild and averse to humans, she believes that “there’s more public education that needs to occur” about the relationship between deer and coyotes. “Although coyotes may have a local effect on some of the deer ... over the long term they’re probably not having an effect on the deer population,” Royar says.
Coyotes are described by biologists at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife as an important part of Vermont's natural ecosystem, yet some insist on persecuting them as vermin and garbage especially during the coyote killing contests that are held here several times a year. These contests are kept secret so the public cannot weigh in. There recently was one in Enosburg, which most people in VT were not aware of. If these hunters feel it is ethical then why do they have to hide in the shadows? I feel so strongly about this senseless cruelty and hope that we, as compassionate human beings, can make a difference. This is one tradition that needs to be abolished. Not all traditions are worth upholding and handing down to children. There was a tradition, called The Christmas “Side Hunt” which prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters engaged in. They would choose sides and go out with their guns—whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered and furred quarry won. This has now become the Christmas bird count.
“Excess kills of this kind really showcase the tendencies of a stubborn few who completely miss the value of animals,” “Instead of teaching kids that we should treasure nature and value animals, contest kills send the message that entire species of animals are disposable and give ethical hunters a bad name.
I feel, from talking to citizens, that many of you care enough to do what is scientifically and ethically right. That also means not ignoring the injustice of many “traditions” and using that word as a shield to continue to inflict pointless pain and suffering on many of Vermont's wildlife.
I know I am going to get a lot of negative comments over this, but hopefully those of you who want to defend the defenceless and would prefer to have viewing opportunities to enjoy with your family, will attend this peaceful protest. As seen recently here and in Washington, we CAN affect change.
Please join me and other Vermonters:
Saturday February 11th from 1-3pm
Bristol Town Green
12 West Street Bristol, VT 05443
Help us raise public awareness that this activity is not welcomed in Bristol, nor in our beautiful state as a whole.
If you can go...let me know!
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