To say “woe is me” on behalf of animals and the world in general is almost
too easy these days. We merely have to
look around, listen and read to know bad things are happening to animals everywhere.
routes — development everywhere! — and loss of habitat (ditto) and use of
pesticides . . . have all “contributed” to the Monarchs’ dramatic decline.
trees so butterfly-dense the trees were obscured, forests are now being cleared
so farmers can grow avocados — the latest (profitable) fad food.
teams of names that demean Native Americans is still underway. Concurrent with that campaign is advocates’
wish to halt the practice of sports teams having live animal mascots . . . like
longhorn steers. (You read it right:
cattle. with looooong pointed horns.)
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| Dodo pic |
So there was
Bevo, the humongous 1,700-pound live mascot of the “Texas Longhorns”
(University of Texas), who suddenly spotted the bulldog mascot of the
University of Georgia “Bulldogs.” Bevo broke
loose and charged toward a crowd of bystanders, laboriously restrained by his
handlers. (You read it right again: yes,
this mascot needs handlers, and strong ones too.)
the animals involved (involuntarily, of course), as well as potentially deadly
for people. Please sign the petition in
this Dodo story to end the nonsense.
trailer taking her to slaughter, then just a few days later gave birth to “Winter”
at the sanctuary where she found lifetime refuge? Now a new bill in the NJ legislature, “Brianna’s
Law” would make it illegal to kill a pregnant cow, with possible fine and prison
penalties.
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| APLNJ pic |
If the bill becomes law, that’s great for pregnant cows, at least. But what about pregnant, or nursing, bears? And their cubs? Any chance of a bill to protect them? Or far better still, any chance of a total ban
on bear hunts in NJ? (Despite his
campaign pledge to end bear hunts here, our governor still claims his hands are
tied on other than state property. Claimed ignorance is bliss.)
management”) continues
County. This deer hunt goes on and on in
area parks. Who OK’d this method, and
why? Were time and cost involved, as in
too much time to bother studying non-lethal options, and/or too costly to “manage”
humanely?
And who is against the hunt — what have deer
defenders done and what might they do (more effectively) next time around? When will decisions about “deer management” be
made for 2019-20?
The temptation to despair can seem irresistible at times. The state of the world, especially the world
of innocent animals — variously tortured by hunting, poaching, slaughtering, experimentation,
habitat loss — seems to worsen every day, causing more and more animals to be endangered
and hurried toward extinction.
as if “the end is near!” as we humans thoughtlessly keep blundering through this
Anthropocene era (the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence
on climate and the environment) of
our own making.