hunting and fishing cruelty ?

[John L]

Pinched from a hunting site.

More hunting and fishing cruelty letters in the Australian.





letters@theaustralian.com.au

Quote
Tasmanian dogfight
THE Tasmanian RSPCA story was a classic of the state's bureaucratic character ("RPSCA dogfight with millionaire benefactor'', 11/3).

Down here in Tasmania, bodgie governance is less a failing than an unwritten policy. This is the place where Natural Heritage Trust funding ended up with a program to convert private forest to pulp plantations.

While you may face a $10,000 fine for picking up a wallaby killed on the road, you will be subsidised to poison thousands of native animals with few questions asked.

Most Tasmanians applaud Jan Cameron's private efforts to alleviate animal cruelty, but she should expect a level of regulatory scrutiny that is otherwise all but absent from this squalid state.

John Hayward

Weegena, Tas

We kill animals, too
DAVID Yabsley and Hugh Leonard (Letters, 11/3) do not reveal the full extent of the hypocrisy about whales. Australians also shoot animals for recreation, leaving a wounded wild pig to suffer an agonising and lingering death, or a joey to starve.

Others seek marlin or other "game fish'' and torture them for hours as the fish try to get free of the barbs tearing through their mouths, not for food or even "research'', but to participate in what is described in tourism brochures as "sports fishing''. Then, "sport'' over, they may release the wounded, exhausted and terrified creature if it's not prized enough to have mounted.

In the cruelty to animals stakes, we beat the Japanese hands down.

L.B. Loveday

Randwick, NSW

[Fafnir]

It is almost laughable ...

Others seek marlin or other "game fish'' and torture them Fish do not have the same pain receptors in their brains as humans and other animals, and therefore do not feel pain in the way that we percieve pain for hours as the fish try to get free Natural flight response, nothing to do with pain of the barbs tearing through their mouths Hopefully the hook is set solid and not 'tearing through' anything, not for food or even "research'', but to participate in what is described in tourism brochures as "sports fishing''. Then, "sport'' over, they may release the wounded, exhausted and terrified creature Terrified??? I wonder how they came to the conclusion that fish can feel terrified if it's not prized enough to have mounted.

These letters are in response to an article I assume. Any link to the article, or idea on when this story and the follow up letters ran?

[Jeremy]

Fafnir is spot on here. Most research shows fish simply cannot feel 'pain' as we would know it. They do have 'nocioception' which is a primitive response to escape from harm, but they lack the anatomical regions of their 'brain' to feel 'pain'

Jeremy

[Local_Guy]

I wonder if this guy eats meat.. lets write a story on that...

Dogs, they run around a paddock terrorising the poor Cows in an attempt to round them up into the hearding paddock, occasionally biting them on the legs. The dogs see this as fun and the farmer encourages it, and though it doesn't attract the tourists like sports fishing does... Cows feel pain, or what would be the use of barb wire fences which can entangle and cause pain and fear in the cows brain. What about electric fences the shock this causes would be enough to make anyone sterile.

Finally the cows are headed down a narrow alleyway towards the slaughter house, jumping and kicking each other only to find waiting for them is a sharp poke to the head... Maybe the only humane thing waiting for them at the end of the line...

...................

So assuming this guy does eat meat, maybe he should think about the bigger picture.

[FNQCairns]

Long Bow Loveday must be a complete mess after a drive to the pizza shop! all those spattered bugs on the grill and windscreen (rolls eyes)

cheers fnq

[oldboot]

Oh yeh.... this old lot of touchy feely, pussy & puppy thinking is a real problem.


It need to be pointed out that almost all fish in the see will see a violent death without the interfeerance of man.

However there is a big difference between catching fish in a reasonable an sportsman like manner and firing a cannon powered lump of metal at a large mammal then dragging it miles before killing it if it isnt already dead.

I just had this discussion the other day.

Livestock slaughtered in a modern facility dont know what hit them.... that is a far cry from the lingering death of a wale on a harpoon... A wale that is a highly communitive very inteligent animal.

We who are ( reasonably) caring and who fish, prefer to do so in a reasonable manner, using aparatus that doesnt unduely damage the prey and get the fight over as quickly as reasonable... then either release promptly or kill quickly and cleanly.

We do not toss our wounded prey in the air, or mutilate it and allow our children to play with it...... but this is common in nature.

The hariy armpit, vegan brigade would do well to consider the animals that died due to the intensive agriculture required to grow their soy beans that are used to make their manufactured soy products.


OH don't get me started.

cheers