http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/41653757.html
B.C. defends reduced grizzly hunt

The B.C. government has extended its no-hunting area for grizzly bears to a
total of 1.9 million hectares on the north and central coast, and is
rejecting calls for a complete ban.

The decision also identifies 170,000 hectares to be closed to black bear
hunting after this spring's hunt, which ends June 30. The kermode bear, a
light-coloured variant of the black bear, is protected from all hunting.

Environment Minister Barry Penner says the decision is the result of
"government-to-government" discussions with coastal B.C. aboriginal
communities, coming out of the 2006 agreement on the North and Central
Coast, an area popularly known as the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Haida Nation and other North and Central Coast aboriginal groups have
joined a call by Humane Society International to end "trophy hunting" of
grizzlies. Penner said when he met with their representatives in February,
he attempted to make a distinction between visitors and resident hunters,
but they are opposed to all bear hunting.

"They don't mind if people are actually using the animals to eat them, but
they feel that even the B.C. Wildlife Federation members, the residents, are
hunting them for sport, so they want that stopped," Penner said.

Hunting opponents claim they have support of all coastal aboriginal people,
but the Nanwakolas Council representing southern coastal people has
indicated it supports a limited hunt, Penner said.

The environment ministry accounts for aboriginal bear hunting in its grizzly
bear management program, calculating that the B.C. population can sustain
nine per cent mortality by humans. The ministry's limit is no more than six
per cent, including road and railway kills as well as hunting.

There were 317 grizzlies killed in 2008 under the limited-entry lottery hunt
supervised by the ministry, a 13 per cent reduction from 2007. The 2008
total represents two per cent of the B.C. population, according to ministry
wildlife biologists.

While some opponents say killing bears for sport is simply wrong, there is
also a debate over the economics of grizzly hunting.

The Commercial Bear Viewing Association says a single ecotourist bear
watching operation in Knight Inlet grossed more than $3 million in 2007,
which they say exceeds all trophy hunting revenue to B.C. in the same year.

Scott Ellis, manager of the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C., says the
province allocates 60 per cent of the annual hunt to resident hunters, with
commercial users getting the remainder. That 40 per cent share is divided
among some of B.C.'s 233 guide outfitters, who target old male grizzlies in
a hunt that strengthens the population, he said.

Guide outfitting revenue for all hunting contributes $120 million annually
to the B.C. economy, mostly in rural areas, the association says.

An undercover investigation by Endangered Species International has disclosed the horrific scale of the endangered species market in the Republic of Congo.
The nonprofit found that hunters source 95% of bushmeat around the Kouilou region, one of the most biodiverse areas in the country. In additon to gorilla meat, the investigation discovered the sale of other at-risk species like the forest hinged tortoise, draft crocodiles, blue duikers, and white-bellied pangolins.
To read the rest ,please click here:

http://helpinganimalsworldwide.blogspot.com/2009/03/300-gorillas-killed-each-year-for.html

'Thousands' of caribou available in Labrador: lawyer for Quebec Innu
Hunters accused of culling threatened herd


Quebec Innu who have been accused of killing the threatened caribou of
Labrador feel the animals are plentiful enough to warrant a hunt, their
lawyer said Tuesday.

Newfoundland and Labrador government officials have denounced the group of
hunters who have travelled by snowmobile from eastern Quebec into the
Labrador wilderness.

Conservation officers with the Department of Natural Resources said more
than 45 of the 108 animals in the protected Joir River herd have already
been killed.

But Ken Rock, a Quebec lawyer who is representing two of the three Innu
bands involved in the hunt, said his clients do not believe the hunt is
illegal or that the animals are even threatened.

"What I hear from the members Š is that there are not only 108 caribou;
there are thousands of them maybe 2,000-2,500," he said.

Rock said Quebec Innu want to sit down and talk with provincial government
officials. He said the Innu will stop hunting in Labrador if they're
convinced that the caribou there are part of a threatened herd.

But Dunderdale said the government has actually met with Quebec Innu leaders
numerous times in the past five years.

"[We have been] educating them as to the status of these animals,
underlining the importance of protecting these animals, and asking them not
to engage in the hunt. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, that plea has fallen on
deaf ears," she said.

Dunderdale insisted that Quebec Innu have threatened conservation officers
who have monitored the situation in helicopters.

Meanwhile, conservationists are questioning the actions of the Quebec Innu.

Jim Shaeffer, a biology professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.,
who had worked as the regional biologist in Labrador in the late 1990s, said
it is not at all hard to destroy an endangered herd of caribou.

"We used to talk about a White Bear Lake herd in back of Postville. It was
estimated to be perhaps a thousand animals," Shaeffer said. "We do know that
hundreds of animals were being taken a year, and that population disappeared
in the 1970s."

Hollis Yetman, a former conservation officer who spent time monitoring the
Joir River herd, confirmed that the number of animals is very small.

"The caribou are not there. I mean, there are a couple of small pockets of
caribou, and I don't know why they would pursue them," he said.

"It's beyond me."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/03/31/caribou-innu.html
<http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/03/31/caribou-innu.html>

Defendants in deer slaughter case claim animal mistreatment law does not extend to wild animals
    

     WAUPACA - Two men charged in Waupaca County with running down deer with snowmobiles are seeking the case's dismissal because they assert animal mistreatment laws do not offer protection to wild animals.

     Rory Kuenzi, 24, and Robby Kuenzi, 23, both of Weyauwega, are both charged with multiple counts of mistreatment of animals as a result of a Jan. 9 incident in the Town of Lind in which they and a third man are accused of killing a group of deer with their snowmobiles.

     Their attorneys filed dismissal motions Monday claiming the state statute, which reads "no person may treat any animal, whether belonging to the person or another, in a cruel manner," requires ownership of the animals.

     "In this case, the animals in question were non-domesticated deer; in short, they were wild animals," the motion states.

     The attorneys who filed the motions, Thomas Johnson and Troy Nielsen, could not be reached Monday for comment.

     Keith Steckbauer, the attorney for Nicholas Hermes, 23, the third defendant, could not be reached, nor could Assistant Dist. Atty. James Fassbender.

     Robby Kuenzi is scheduled to appear next in court on April 7 and Rory Kuenzi on April 8.

     The dismissal motion only applies to the most serious charges, the felony animal mistreatment charges. All three also face multiple misdemeanor charges and ordinance violations stemming from the same incident.

Hunters 'smuggling dog-sized deer for shooting'
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hunters-smuggling-dogsized-deer-for-shooting-1691972.html>

DEER are being smuggled into Ireland<http://www.independent.ie/topics/Ireland> purely for the purpose of being shot by hunters, wildlife experts claim.

Chairman of the Irish Wildlife Trust Padraic Fogarty confirmed that there had been sightings of the muntjac, a deer about the size of a large dog, in Wexford<http://www.independent.ie/topics/County+Wexford>.

The muntjac are not native to Ireland and cannot be imported legally. Because of their small size, they pose an additional risk to trees as they may be able to slip through fencing designed to keep out our own deer species, Mr Fogarty said.

Meanwhile, Peter Cosgrove<http://www.independent.ie/topics/Peter+Cosgrove>, from the Scottish-based environmental consultancy Envirocentre, said insiders had warned him about the problem of smuggled deer.

He urged border officials to be more vigilant, as he feared Scottish deer were being brought illegally to Ireland.

"We have people who have their ear to the ground who are concerned about it and they are getting more and more worried," he said.

"We have had several different people saying this is going on and that it's becoming a problem. Nobody has yet been caught in the act."

Mr Cosgrove added that if the non-native species of deer start breeding in Ireland they could wreak havoc -- damaging forests by overgrazing and out-competing native animals.

Disease

The animals could also spread diseases from mainland Britain<http://www.independent.ie/topics/United+Kingdom> to Ireland. Usually, animals transported from one country to another must spend time in quarantine.

It is illegal to introduce an alien species into the wild in the Republic and in the North. There is a policy to kill on sight any of the non-native deer that are spotted.

Muntjac were first introduced from China<http://www.independent.ie/topics/China> to Bedfordshire<http://www.independent.ie/topics/Bedfordshire> in the early 20th century and spread across England, Wales<http://www.independent.ie/topics/Wales> and the Scottish Borders.

A common name for muntjac is "barking deer", resulting from the repeated, loud noise they make when under threat.

- Grainne Cunningham

Mary Alice Pollard
Cornwall's Voice for Animals: http://www.cornwallsvoiceforanimals.org/Welcome.html%3Chttp://www.cornwallsvoiceforanimals.org/Welcome.html>
Representing The International Organization for Animal Protection NGO affiliated to the UN

UK Week for the Animals is an exciting week of events created to celebrate and joyfully build awareness for the animals........
http://www.cornwallsvoiceforanimals.org/ukweekforanimals.html%3Chttp://www.cornwallsvoiceforanimals.org/ukweekforanimals.html>

Snowmobile groups sue over lynx designation

Snowmobile groups in Wyoming and Washington state are suing in federal court to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which wants to designate 39,000 square miles of land in Montana and five other states as critical habitat for the threatened Canada lynx.

The Wyoming State Snowmobile Association and the Washington State Snowmobile Association filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne. They contend the agency's proposed designation of critical habitat for the Canada lynx threatens to disrupt their sport.

The agency wants to designate parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Washington, as well as Maine and Minnesota, as critical habitat for the Canada lynx.

The snowmobile groups argue the habitat designation amounts to a major federal action that requires a detailed environmental study.

Several environmental groups also say they intend to sue the federal agency, saying the habitat designation covers too little of Montana and does not include northeastern Washington and the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

__________________________________________________________________________________

http://www.animalsinthewild.org/

"The government does not want us to call it the swine flu. They're calling it the 2009 H1N1 virus. The reason for the change is they want people to know you can still eat all the pork you want without any risk to your health..., except diabetes, obesity and heart disease."
--Jimmy Kimmel

Congo  
Society & Culture  (tags: Africa, Congo, environment, goodnews, interesting, world )

Teresa
- 1 hour ago - youtube.com

This and thousands of other hunting accidents can be found at
http://www.all-creatures.org/cash/accident-center.html

The Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
P.O. Box 13815
                       Las Cruces, NM  88013
http://www.abolishsporthunting.com/

http://www.kpvi.com/global/story.asp?s=10609244&ClientType=Printable

Island Park

Idaho Falls Man Attacked by a Mother Grizzly Bear While Hunting in Island
Park

A mother grizzly bear attacked a local man early Sunday morning.

It happened in Fremont County near the Lyle Springs area of Island Park.

Authorities say Keith Klinger of Idaho Falls was bit after the dogs he was
hunting with smelled the bears. With two cubs by her side, the mother
grizzly bear was able to take Klinger down and bite his right arm.

The man's brother came to Klinger's aid by firing a shot at the bear. The
bear let go of the victim's arm and the hunters were able to escape.

After an investigation, officials were not able to determine if the bear was
actually shot. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office encourages everyone to be
alert when traveling in this area.

http://wcco.com/wireapnewsfia/NTSB.says.plane.2.1057835.html
NTSB: Plane Tried To Land Before Crashing In Iowa

 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) --

A small plane tried to land in a corn field before it crashed in
northwest Iowa, killing all three Wisconsin men on board, a federal
aviation investigator said Wednesday.

The single-engine Piper 28 hit a ditch next to a gravel road near Sheldon in O'Brien County about 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The sheriff's office identified the men as Francis Allegretti, 64,
of Cambridge, Wis.; Thomas Boos, 60, of Fort Atkinson, Wis.; and
Malcolm McMillan, 65, of Milton, Wis.

Aaron Sauer, a senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, said
the men left from Fort Atkinson and were headed to South Dakota on a
hunting trip. He did not know the men's destination in South Dakota.

He said there was no indication of a fuel problem, and investigators
were trying to determine the men's route and if they stopped for fuel.
He also said there was no radio traffic or emergency call before the
plane crashed.

"We have indications in the 2- to 3-foot-tall corn that the airplane
was attempting to land in the field. From the first point that we can
determine the airplane actually hit the corn to where it came to rest
was approximately 100 feet," Sauer said.

A flight plan was not required, Sauer said, and was not filed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Jerome Goodger, of Milton,
Wis., owned the plane. A telephone message to Goodger on Wednesday was
not immediately returned.

FAA records also list McMillan as a co-owner.

It was not yet clear who was flying the plane, and Sauer said investigators would try to determine that.

Sauer said the Piper 28 is typically flown from the left front seat
but can be flown from the right seat. He said Allegretti was in the
left seat and McMillan was in the right seat.

Sauer said the NTSB will likely have a preliminary report on the accident next week.

Nancy Boos said her husband, who was retired after working 27 years
making malt at a barley plant, built and flew ultralight planes but
wasn't a licensed pilot.

"He helped his friends build two or three of them," she said. "He loved hunting, fishing and flying."

Her husband hunted "everything" and for seven years held the record
for shooting the largest wild turkey in Wisconsin, Nancy Boos said.

Boos said her husband and Allegretti had gone prairie dog hunting last year, too, but drove to South Dakota for that trip.

"They just helped the farmers get rid of them," she said.

Dickie McMillan said her husband was a building contractor who owned
a business with his son. She said he was an avid pilot but grounded
himself because of some heart issues.

Malcolm McMillan also served for many years as co-chair of flight
safety for the annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in and
convention in Oshkosh, Wis., his wife said.

Dickie McMillan said it was to be her husband's first time hunting prairie dogs in South Dakota.

"This was to be a wonderful pleasure trip," she said. "My husband
said a good day was jumping on his Harley and driving to the airport to
go flying."

Malcolm McMillan had three sons, two daughters and 11 grandchildren.

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D., said
thunderstorms with heavy rain were moving through the area at the time
of the crash.

Deputies found the plane partially on its top at the edge of a gravel road.

Feds may open forest, swamp around Alligator Alley

 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A federal proposal would open a vast sweep of forest and swamp on both sides of Alligator Alley to hunting and off-road vehicles. The National Park Service has proposed establishing more than 85,000 acres of wilderness beginning on the western border of Broward County, as part of a plan for managing 146,000 acres added to Big Cypress National Preserve in 1988. The wilderness acres would be cut by non-wilderness corridors allowing hunters to access remote areas on swamp buggies and all-terrain vehicles, which are currently barred from the area. An environmental review released with the proposal Friday found that the plan would have a "moderate adverse" impact on the endangered Florida panther living there because the cats avoid areas with increased numbers of hunters and hikers. The park service will prepare a final plan after a public comment period ends Sept. 30. The wilderness designation must be authorized by Congress. John Adornato, South Florida director of the National Parks Conservation Association, criticized the plan for allowing any off-road trails in wetland areas south of Alligator Alley, the highway that stretches across the Florida Everglades. "I'm disappointed that the preserve has chosen to disregard wetlands protection by putting these trails through sensitive habitat," he said. "They would segment panther habitat." Big Cypress, created by Congress in 1974, was designated a national preserve to allow hunting, off-road vehicles, oil drilling and other activities that ordinarily would not take place in a national park. The area is also home to black bears, red-cockaded woodpeckers and other protected species. In wilderness areas, hunting is allowed but not vehicles. The park service's proposal gets around that by creating non-wilderness corridors that, along with the non-wilderness areas, would provide up to 140 miles of off-road vehicle trails. It also would establish new hiking trails and entry points off Alligator Alley for off-road vehicles, hikers, cyclists and horseback riders. "It allows a good variety of uses," said Pedro Ramos, the preserve's superintendent. "There's going to be opportunities for people to get off the highway so they can learn about this magnificent resource. We feel the plan is representative of the diversity of the people of Florida, and it's representative of the mandate from Congress." Matthew Schwartz, Everglades chairman of the Broward Sierra Club said motorized vehicles would diminish the wilderness experience. "Six million people live within an hour and a half of this," he said. "People need a place to get away to, to really experience wild Florida. And we're going to lose that quality." http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1137333.html