Animal rights advocates–and others–went into furious conniptions because Sarah Palin authorized wolves to be shot from helicopters as part of Alaska’s animal management program. Some ever–erroneously–claimed she did the shooting. She did not, but left that unpleasant task to professional hunters.
I wonder if the same explosive reaction will be exhibited, and expletives uttered, by the usual suspects about the Feds’ plan to kill feral pigs from helicopters. From the San Diego Union Tribune story:
When it comes to controlling the spread of feral pigs in San Diego County, the public hunting effort isn’t doing the job. That has led federal agencies to launch an ambitious program that will use cage traps, corral traps, federal hunters with guns and dogs and even shooting from helicopters to exterminate the area’s population of wild swine. Officials see the pigs as a threat to fragile ecosystems and public health and safety. Environmentalists worry about the damage wild pigs will do to the county’s sensitive habitat, much of it rebounding from Southern California’s catastrophic wildfires of the last decade.
Proper wildlife management is legitimate, and killing animals in the process is sometimes necessary. If you are for animal rights, you must oppose because killing feral pigs is morally equivalent to killing people.
But animal welfarists and environmentalists can support the action. Otherwise, entire ecosystems can be thrown completely out of whack. That’s what Palin did in Alaska and what the Feds are doing in California.
June 2nd, 2011 | 7:48 pm
Pigs are highly intelligent mammals. In fact, as intelligent, if not more so, than dogs. I’m curious: would those who support this, be in favor of shooting out of control dogs?
There are ways of dealing with the problems that arise from feral pigs, without killing them. This so called “solution” is not only morally reprehensible, but lazy. I thought we were the exceptional species? Perhaps devising intelligent solutions, that do not involve mass slaughter of intelligent, suffering mammals, would better reflect our unique moral and intellectual attributes.
June 3rd, 2011 | 8:45 am
suppose, hypothetically, we have humans who we cannot reason with, who are engaging in ecosystem destruction comparable to what these wild pigs are doing. Would we kill them, to solve the problem?
Of course not.
We would find a way to solve the problem without harming these people. We should find also find a way to solve the problems caused by the pigs, withoput harming them.
We can, if we simply choose to value them.
Steve Colby Reply:
June 3rd, 2011 at 10:33 am
@Bret Lythgoe,
“suppose, hypothetically, we have humans who we cannot reason with, ….. Would we kill them, to solve the problem?”
There is precedent for that in human history.
June 3rd, 2011 | 10:18 am
Do they get ‘em with the main rotor, or the tail rotor??
HW
June 3rd, 2011 | 10:36 am
Wesley, I thought the A-10 “Warthog” would be better than a helicopter for this specific mission, but maybe there are jurisdictional issues here that I am not aware of.
June 6th, 2011 | 2:21 am
People aren’t going to care about this as much as wolves because feral pigs aren’t as cute and don’t remind people of Fido.
Also, I would have no problem with people shooting out of control dogs, and in many places you can shoot dogs that are acting aggressive or causing damage. I believe they do that to dogs (and cats) in Australia.
June 8th, 2011 | 10:03 pm
From San Diego…
Kermit Beware
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact