Threats against activists made by hunters

In retaliation for the outcry against recent killing of wolves, hunters have been making a lot of noise, talking about plans in regard to physically harming certain animal rights activists. I find it rather interesting to note that activists are labeled as “lunatics” when they get upset over seeing the brutality that hunters inflict and sometimes yes, certain activists say some really stupid things in their angry state, even the occasional “noted” activist, however, let us place something into perspective here; hunters actually do have firearms and are known to kill living creatures with those firearms. Just about all hunters possess firearms, or perhaps bows, or traps, etc… It is just a thought, but I would wager that most animal rights activists do not possess firearms or bows…maybe bolt-cutters, ground-chalk, picket signs and red paint, but that’s about it.

Oddly enough, I have never physically threatened anyone in my years of activism, yet I have been physically threatened several times and some of those threats were clear death threats. I even have one still sitting in my Facebook mailbox, which was reported to no avail, as Facebook doesn’t give a damn about animal rights activists and obviously, neither do the authorities. Facebook didn’t even remove the person’s page. Surprised? I am not. Certain people apparently have rights, whilst others do not.

In any case, the hunters continue touting their many ridiculous excuses for killing animals. There are few that I despise more than “wildlife management”. Considering how well humans have “managed” our environment thus far, I would suggest that we “demote” ourselves from the “management” position. The only way to “manage” nature and wildlife is to leave it the hell alone. Any time humans interfere with the natural balance, it becomes tainted and destroyed. It actually makes me feel “dirty” on some level, when I realize that I belong to a gene pool gullible enough to believe the hunters’ fairy tales regarding how they can “manage” a balance better than nature can.

Furthermore, it is most certainly the fault of human interference, that any animal population problems may exist, if it exists at all. If any animal population has “over-run” a specific environment, it is because humans have put said species where it does not belong or destroyed the ecologic factors which keep that species “in check” and frankly, this is the tell-tale signature of hunter interference with the natural order. In most cases, hunters have eradicated their only competition, that being, indigenous predators, like wolves, whose burrows and environmental impact are essential for the generation of bacterial-life, as well as the growth of flora in any ecosystem. That, in turn, helps sustain the balanced food supply for many animal species, including the predator’s prey. Predators obviously, also control the population numbers of said prey. It is all part of an intricate web, specifically designed for sustainability and continuance, a system to which, we do not fit into. Again, when humans interfere, that is when problems arise.

Certain animals(not all of, but the majority) which populate in ecosystems where they do not belong, were specifically brought to those environments and intentionally populated by humans for either food purposes or for the hunters to sport-hunt. Animals that are the more favored prey of the hunters, which do not overpopulate on their own, like deer, are purposely well-fed annually with row upon row of well-placed deer-plot “goodies”, like deer-clover, for maximum procreation. Most people do not know that deer would not populate beyond their food supply, however, a doe’s biological make-up will actually abort a certain number of fetuses naturally, when the food supply is low. It is nature’s way of sparing her fawns from enduring starvation whilst keeping a balance in the ecosystem.

The hunters omit this information when offering their “services” to “amend” the imposed deer population issue near any community, however, they most certainly know about it. Obviously, the hunters will certainly swear that deer-plotting is only used as a lure-tactic, however, activists have indeed found whole plots of carefully maintained rows of many different deer “goodies” like deer clover in and near several parks that see an annual deer cull, well out of the hunting season.

Seeing as the hunters publicly admit to deer-plotting(something that Ted Nugent adamantly promotes to his many hunting fans), it is only fair that they also admit to being at least partially responsible for an “overpopulation” of deer in proximity to certain communities that annually experience an “overpopulation” of deer. I wonder if that would make the hunters responsible for, or perhaps responsible for adding to, if not causing the majority of, approximately 130 human deaths in deer/vehicle collision accidents each and every year? I have heard people blame deer for being the “most dangerous animal” to humans in the United States because of this particular statistic, however, who is really at fault when nature itself, already has a plan in place to keep deer population in check?

In my personal opinion, the hunters should not be permitted to deer-plot at all, at least until a real scientifically-led investigation of the circumstances surrounding deer-plotting, as it relates to deer breeding, are performed on a national level and proper statistical data can be collected. If, in fact, the halt of deer-plotting could reduce, if not remove much of the deer population “problem” that the hunters claim exists within a few years, should any evidence of deer-plotting not carry charges for the endangering of at least, human lives? It is something to consider and this is not “old news”. Activists have indeed, expressed their concerns about this issue in the past.

Perhaps, extortion could be added to the list of charges in certain cases for potentially causing any deer population problem in the first place, whilst the hunters offer their “services” to “amend” the very problem that they may very well be a party to creating? The fact that there have been no strict ordinances against the feeding of deer by hunters, or even an investigation into these matters, is very telling in regard to where the United States government’s allegiance resides. It all sounds like nature-manipulation for the satiation of killing-enjoyment, in my personal opinion.

Anthony Damiano
President of AELLA