‘Help needed’: our NJ bears, a DC dog & horses everywhere

It
took high-level lying and false numbers for both bear population and bear
incidents, as well as a Fish and Game Council with hunters in 6 of its 11
seats, establishing public policy for New Jersey!  No wonder bear hunts have resumed here,
despite the great majority of residents against it.

Continuously
fighting against bear hunts, the Animal Protection League of NJ (APLNJ) gets
anti-hunt and pro-wildlife information out to people through banner protests,
billboards and outreach events like tabling. 
And two pending lawsuits call for reforming the makeup of the Fish and
Game Council and challenging the emergency rule used in the 2022 bear hunt.

Right whale

However,
the Murphy administration has acted in bad faith by not trying a single
nonlethal method APL has suggested.  Even
worse, the governor continues to lie about this issue on his “Ask the Governor”
show.   

Major
APL efforts, as well, have gone into saving endangered right whales off NJ’s
coast, with pitifully little positive response from our elected federal
officials.  Given the current political
climate, among other obstacles, legislators appear more sympathetic toward
fishermen than toward the imperiled right whale – ignoring the Endangered
Species Act in the process.

Canada goose

The
organization is also winding down on its geese site visits around the state –
working, with some success, to win approval for non-lethal methods of dealing
with the birds.  APL plans a publication
with cutting-edge methods to reduce conflicts and deter geese from
nesting.  (More on that valuable guide to
follow as it comes closer to reality.)

Helping
a dog succeed

For
a long time, I’ve read the work of columnist Frank Bruni, appreciating his
responses to political and other issues.  But after he adopted Regan, a lovely and loved
black and white dog, I grew even more attentive because then Bruni often
included her in whatever he wrote.

His
take on Regan, their happy relationship and sometimes on dogs in general has
been both warm andinformed.  That’s why
I paid special attention to his thoughts on President Joe Biden and his latest
pet dog in the White House: Commander, a German shepherd who bit at least 11 people before being moved to another address.

Commander

Here’s
Bruni’s reaction to the story’s sad ending, including his thoughts on how a
happy ending could have happened.          https://tinyurl.com/2skzhy3z       

More
horse abuse

Beyond the myriad cruelties horses already endure (don’t even think about race horses!), here are two equine abuses that frequently lack enough publicity and protests to be halted. 

Remember those Budweiser Clydesdale horses featured in Anheuser-Busch ad campaigns?  For unknown reasons, the company had long
practiced docking (think “amputating”) their tails.

Now,
though, that practice has ended, apparently because of criticism leveled at A-B
by PETA and other animal welfare organizations. 
Obviously, horses’ tails serve a couple of important purposes.  Further, the docking process causes physical
pain to the draft horses and Clydesdales involved. 

With
the end of horse tail-docking, Anheuser-Busch is claiming that the safety and
welfare of its “beloved Clydesdales” is its top priority . . . now.            https://tinyurl.com/yckbdwhs

Walking’s a pain