“We must act with vindictive earnestness against the Sioux, even to their extermination, men, women, and children. Nothing else will reach the root of this case. . . The more we can kill this year, the less will have to be killed next war, for the more I see of these Indians the more convinced I am that all have to be killed or maintained as a species of pauper.” General William Tecumseh Sherman
Realities often are cumbersome, crude, and most people simply look-away at these burdensome situations. And just as often Animal Advocates will do so as well, especially when assuming defeat, then a manipulated hoped-for compromise takes place.
The forced upon government or politician’s quick-fix can be a resolution, but history and reality, within our universe anyway, dictates it being temporary, at best. The Indians and Buffalo in the past — now Wolves and even Wild Horses currently. So easily is this situation resolved, but not done as long as there exists a “kill-to-manage animals” ideology within our government. And why not, we certainly have a history of easy-fix solutions, and to many killing is easily done. We are a war society.
The American Indian remains exemplary and certainly stands out among the pages of history as being mistreated by what we call the “Seeds of Civilization.” This can also be used, from the notes above from General Sherman, which shows hatred as a compliance toward a supposed resolution, within this particular discussion.
Needless to say, General Sherman’s comments stirred hatred toward the Indians at large, and we know the following history of that situation. It demonstrates the pretense to not only the human aspect, but what we as a civilization can do to our fellow mankind and are right now doing to our wildlife and even domestic animals. We can no doubt also assume that if we, as mankind, can do this to our own human flesh and blood, then it is not so farfetched to assume we can do this to animals as well, and those excuses from the past can be used once again today. And we do!
Lack of Leadership Spawns Hatred
Many people within our government today do this same thing, make no doubt. Slurs and rhetoric abound, presenting a casual killing atmosphere toward our nations wildlife, to be simply — okay. We can look at the Fish & Wildlife Service for example, extremely guilty of a “kill-to-manage” ideology and response to managing our nations wildlife, and yet we find within good-science research to be unnecessary. The Bureau of Land management, the Department of the Interior and the Forestry Department and how they manage our Wild Horse Herds are also a good example, and though not mentioned here, can no doubt be assumed, as to what happens to the Wolf — so to the Wild Horse Herds domestically.
Leadership should always be questioned and their motives brought forth within discussion, in order to assume any type of honest decision making process; especially this and in accord with our present killing of our wildlife and the taking of our Public Lands by oil, mines, and energy corporations and the cattle industry! Suddenly, we also find our lands being destroyed because of these government/corporate decisions. Entire ecological systems being wiped out, replaced by temporary money-makers, but short-lived. But we pay the cost, both monetarily and ecologically, with the common destruction of our Public Lands.
Many who listen to our leadership, or lack of, are not best equipped to understand the situation discussed here. Wolves, for example, are portrayed as derelict animals that kill for the joy of killing something-anything. And yet, Science and authenticity of Wolf kills have shown much differently, and recorded as such — but ignored.
Majority of People Against Kill-Management
Here is a common belief of those who have read the Science, and yet view the way Wolves portrayed often within the press. This is about a Wolf-Kill hunt with prizes and monetary awards for the most kills during the day — the situation canceled due to the majority objection of the situation as disgusting, and hunters disliked by the majority:
“I am sure many people will write letters expressing outrage. I too am outraged and sickened by this butchery (dressed in the sheep’s clothing as “fun”), but I’ll allow other letter writers to discuss the inhuman brutality, if not insanity, of this event.
I’d like to comment on the publicity poster mentioned in the article that depicts the stereotypically evil looking, snarling wolf.
Perhaps this poster could have a better, far more accurate and descriptive image instead: That of the stereotypical redneck hick (with the obligatory beer gut and buck teeth), dressed in overalls – holding a sawed-off shotgun? I think this image is far more suitable.” Wolf kill a poor strategy to manage wildlife, Vancouver Sun, Canada, Nov. 26, 2012.
Civilization Horses and Wolves
Our civilization continues to take “backward steps” — rather than assume a progressive stand toward saving our wildlife; instead, lack of leadership within political realms as well as government agencies’, compounds — the results — abundant killing of our wildlife — not going unnoticed what so ever is the ways of killing our wildlife has become uncalled for and extremely abusive as well! One can also state, beyond a doubt, some of the methods used to be criminal in nature.
The “kill-to-manage” our wildlife is no longer an option, whereas, other management principles must be developed in order for us all to exist on this planet! This means stop the killing of our wildlife, as it is unnecessary; There exist many options, and the old ways must depart, making way for new and improved options of a more civilized nature.
Mankind and Killing Wildlife
But what is it that we see, for example, on television. We see the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, and quite a few more who advertise themselves as a community that supports wildlife and animal welfare. Often these stations also are supported by non-profit groups that advertise themselves as supporting wildlife. But in truth they do not do so and the dispersion of funds and donations received demonstrate a much different situation. A little research shows they lie.
But the reality? Much of their viewing schedule is about hunting, killing, or eradicating animals in many different ways, and throughout the United States and the world for that matter. They sell-out to corporate advertising and money.
But not so surprising if, once again, we understand history and note what humans have done to other humans. The gap between savage and civilized narrows, where one becomes undistinguishable from the other. Hunting is no longer the part of history from yesteryear, especially within the United States — which used to be distinguished to place food on the family table; rather, today it is a nasty affair and fraught with blatantly and gruesome results more often than not.
Yes, we have come to the point in the escapades of a hunter of today that shows their killing and mutilating of wolves to be beyond the scope of those wild creatures they kill. Wolves are commonly portrayed as having a secondary trait to kill for joy of killing — yet, mentioned again, Science and unbiased data from unbiased research shows much differently.
We see those that kill Wolves, by traps or bullets, to enjoy it to the point of having their photo taken, with pride of the kill — or for bragging rights of the kill at the local bar! When questioned about the noted and obvious abuse, these people portray the situation as “everybody else is wrong” and it was not abusive at all, that the people who said this do not know anything about hunting.
Many war veterans and ex-hunters are Animal Advocates today, due to the nature and cruelties seen as common events and that hunting has become today — to include this writer and many others — make no doubt about this!
Changing Leadership Changing Wildlife Management
Perhaps writing this and you reading this, we can all start to understand better this situation of the principles and methodology being used to liquidate our wolves, our horses, our wildlife in general. Simply worded, the “Management-by-Kill” of our wildlife is unnecessary and not wholesome to our society, our advancement as a civilization, and certainly destructive to our Ecological Systems and our Environment. This is too much to pay for someone’s amusement — It must be STOPPED IMMEDIATELY!
UPDATE: While killing all of the Wolves, to potential extinction, we have government agencies such as the National Park Service, now hiring shooters to manage-by-kill to manage Elk. So these government agencies, apparently assume rather than have a proper management of wolves without killing them to accomplish a wolf’s natural situation and control the population of Elk, to hire at taxpayer expense, in the millions of dollars, people to shoot Elk to control their numbers in the wild and on NPS boundaries! We pay these people in these agencies in excess of $150,000 per year to make responsible decisions — a decision to simply control everything by killing them can be made by someone obtaining minimum wage! Please review this article: Sharpshooters Win Battle to Cull Rocky Mountain National Park’s Elk — Court Decides that Wolves are “Impractical” http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8131&news_iv_ctrl=1194
Photojournalist - Journalist 