In My Book Motives Carries More Weight
In today’s Black Bear Blog the Oregon Fight over elk farming and the linking of polar opposite organizations is really a sham. Does anyone really believe that the HSUS and RMEF really see eye to eye on any issue? I’m certain the motives behind the Oregon Sportsmen Organization opposition to elk farming and HSUS motives are not even on the same level. I know a little about the topic but not enough to have formed a firm position on either side of the issue. I have a lot of respect for organizations like the RMEF & NWTF and would submit that if they have concerns about an issue as a sportsman I should too. Just because the HSUS lines up on a particular issue does not mean that we should ignore these groups concerns.
I believe the motivation behind the HSUS strategy to end the outdoor activities we hold dear is to divide and conquer. Trapping inhumane sport…. Bow Hunting to much game loss… dove hunting who would want to kill the symbol of peace…. Etc. Lets not play into the antis hand by encouraging such behavior, we can debate but lets not offend each other by calling names.
CWD seems to be the most serious threat to elk and deer populations right now. I understand as an industry the farmers have an interest in keeping their stock disease free. However the history of CWD suggests that the disease is as widespread today is because of farming. In North Carolina deer farmers have pushed to have the department of agriculture oversee them instead of wildlife even though the most knowledgeable people on the subject work for wildlife. They have fought sensible safe guards like double fencing and transportation bans on stock that are not certified disease free and have clear histories.
If that is what the sportsmen of Oregon are up against then I understand where they are coming from.
Cool story brotha. Wish you could have got one, after all the head ache. T.
I looked over the history of CWD and nowhere in the time line did it say , or suggest that “farming” was the the reseaon behind the spread of the disease. Here is some more information from that exact website.
The movement of live animals is one of the greatest risk factors in spreading the disease into new areas. Natural movements of wild deer and elk contribute to the spread of the disease, and human-aided transportation of both captive and wild animals greatly exacerbates this risk factor. The apparent spread of CWD between captive and wild cervids is a matter of hot debate. Although strong circumstantial evidence suggests that CWD has spread from positive captive elk to wild cervids in some instances, it may never be proven which group of animals represents the source of infection. It is likely that the disease has been passed in both directions (from captive to wild animals, and from wild to captive animals).
Notice the word circumstantial? I noticed in the time line that it did show CWD didn’t show up on game farms until the late 90’s. The captive animals mentioned earlier in the time line were wild put into captivity for research purposes.
Comment by Eric — November 11, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
The Natural movement of deer is not great enough to fully explain the transmission of the disease. The origins certainly appear to be in wild herds but the outbreak in New York certainly point towards deer farming. Although there may not be the smoking gun to prove it I think there is certainly enough circumstantial evidence to suggest a link to the farming. Just about every state has put bans on the transportation of deer to prevent the spread of the disease.
Comment by Moose — November 11, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
I will give to you that the the cirumstatial evidence may look like it suggests that there is a link to cwd and farming, but there are states such as New Mexico that have no cwd in their ranches, but confirmed cases in the wild. What about states that there are no cases in either? Also cricumstantial evidence suggests CWD is transmitted orally through contaminated feed and water from CWD infected animals; this would explain the transmission of cwd in wild animals. All of the deer and elk I have hunted usually used the same area to feed. If all it takes is one animal to spread the disease, who says that one wild deer didn’t spread the disease to other animals that way. I believe we should do everything we can to prevent the spread of cwd, but i dont think it is fair to the many farmers out there who are doing right to be punished for the few who aren’t, and I don’t think it is right for states to be able to come in and tell tax paying land owners what they can’t do with their land without having irrefutable statistical evidence to back them up. You are right there is no ” smoking gun ” to link the spread of cwd to farms, as there is no ” smoking gun ” to link the spread through wild animals; the truth is no one knows. I think that it is wrong for Fish and game departments as well as hunting organizations to put people in a state of fear over something that has not been proved either way. Why dont we ban hunting all together until we figure it out? It comes down to money. The states get no revenue from these farms so why not take the opportunity to shut them down when there is a case of cwd (or even on just the possibility of cwd like in Oregon), but when cwd is found in the wild population in states with no known cwd in the captive animals they conveniently play dumb and admit they don’t really know how the disease is spread.
Comment by eric — November 18, 2007 @ 5:17 pm