The New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission made a decision by a vote of 5 to 4 to make it legal to hunt and trap bobcats in New Hampshire despite overwhelming opposition by the general public. California banned bobcat hunting on the basis of public opinion and because they have a more enlightened 21st century attitude towards this sort of activity.
Apparently, the bobcat is so scarce in New Hampshire that most residents in the state never see one! There are from 800 to 1200 in the state (guesstimated by “scientists”). Bobcats mind their own business and try and live in harmony with human beings and yet humans have decided to kill them for the fun of it and trap them in the most cruel manner for the skin on their back. The charming human at play.
The bobcat cannot be a nuisance in New Hampshire because they’re too scarce. The only reason why the Commission have decided to let sport hunters shoot them is because they like it. It is such fun to kill animals isn’t it! I hate these people.
I thought that the raisin d’etre of the Fish and Game Commissions in the USA was essentially the preservation and conservation of wildlife. Clearly their responsibilities have grown and extended since they were originally created in the latter part of the 19th century but to decide to make it legal to sport hunt and trap bobcats in New Hampshire, when the population in this state of this species of wild cat is so low, must be wrong.
I’ve always believed that these Commissions are open to influence by individuals and organisations either through lobbying or bribery. I wonder how independent the Commissions are. I wonder how influenced they are by outside forces in one way or another. When a decision such as this one is made you have to believe that their decision-making processes have been tainted or influenced in some way or another.
The sport hunting community and the gun lobby in the USA are energetic and forceful. They like to get their own way. There is also a lot of money amongst the sport hunting community and the gun lobby. They tend to use the money to achieve their ends. I’m not saying that there is corruption here but if there was corruption, it would not surprise me.
There is a petition to overturn the decision on the petition site. It has collected 122,000 signatures at the time of dictating this. The comments are interesting on that page. Everyone of them that I have seen is against the decision. And why not? It is common sense. Every decent person would be against the decision to hunt bobcats in New Hampshire. The public should be allowed to influence the vote. It should not be a decision made by nine people who quite possibly have their own axe to grind if they’re not influenced by outside forces.
“There is absolutely no reason to hunt, trap and hound the bobcat in New Hampshire, and the people of New Hampshire have spoken out clearly against this hunt.”
The above comment was written by Catherine. She also makes the point that the scientists guesstimated the population size of the bobcat in New Hampshire. This is not uncommon i.e guessing cat population sizes. It is quite likely that they have overestimated the population size in order to allow the Commission to make their decision to hunt the animal. In 1989 there were 200 bobcats, estimated, living in the state. A decision about hunting the bobcat should not be made upon guesstimates on population sizes. This is another failing in the decision-making process.
“There is no need. We do not have an overpopulation issue with bobcats”-Michelle Story
The citizens of New Hampshire would rather see the bobcat living in their natural environment rather than mounted on a plaque and put up on someone’s wall as a trophy. It’s madness, this decision, and it must be stopped. Bobcat trapping stats in USA.
Clan MackIntosh
Crest: A cat-a-mountain salient guardant Proper
Motto Touch Not The Cat Bot A Glove (“Touch not the cat without a glove”) & Loch Moigh – Rallying Cry
War cry Loch Moigh
Eva_ Born & Bred in Prestwick,Ayershire Scotland
Ye’want’ta pek’A Fight ? WHY ?
Clan Mackintosh (Clann Mhic an Tòisich
Dear Mr. Real_
Honestly mankind has been directly or indirectly responsible for the mass extinction of species ; including themselves. War is one sad example.This website has solely been created so we may possibly become more aware of our shortcomings so each of us have the tools available and the knowledge necessary to help make this world a more copacetic place to live.The two legged and the four legged varieties.
Eva_
Eva, please learn what the word “extinction” means. It means no more, none ever again, gone forever, cannot bring them back. Gone from the whole universe into perpetuity. Let’s all praise the populace of the UK for having caused that to 421 irreplaceable species in the last 200 years. They must all be so proud of themselves, just like Michael displays his own British arrogance and ignorance in his reply to me. With attitudes and beliefs like that the permanent loss of their one and only native cat-species, the Scottish Wildcat, is now eminent and certain. In fact, less-than 35 individuals left in the whole world are already too few. That’s not enough genetic diversity available to perpetuate a viable species anymore.
Bye-bye Scottish Wildcat! Too bad that you had Brits to protect you from being erased from the universe forever. The rest of the cultures of the world deeply apologize to you for the Brit’s amoral behaviors and lack of any redeeming values whatsoever — not that it will do you any good now. Sorry about that! At least you’ll get a spot on the list of the 421 other species they’ve already destroyed forever. You’ll be known in books and on websites as “Extinct Species Number-422”. Something that Michael can be so proud of because he insist he’s right and the rest of the world is wrong.
Mr Real World, it does help your cause to criticise a nation which behaved badly vis-a-vis wildlife 100-200 years ago. New Hampshire is copying the bad behavior of Brits 200 years ago.
Also please list the 421 species that Brits caused to become extinct in the last 200 years (or provide a link). You have mentioned this more than once but have failed to provide any details and evidence. Can you provide evidence?
In the past you have failed to provide evidence to support your statements when requested. The situation regarding the Scottish Wildcat is caused primarily by cross-breeding with domestic cats and not by the spreading of disease.
Who said I was proud of myself? I am not proud of the British history regarding wildlife. Where do you get that idea from? How about we address the behavior of Americans in helping to make species extinct? What about the passenger pigeon? Wiped out by Americans. And Arizona’s Merriam’s elk – the same. And the woodland bison of West Virginia. Just examples. Should I go on?
Don’t lecture Eva. Just don’t. You have not right to. And stop denigrating me unjustifiably. The consequences are obvious.
It won’t surprise you that I have banned you. You are such a pain-in-the-bum. Really. Sad bugger.
Dear Mr. Real_
Honestly mankind has been directly or indirectly responsible for the mass extinction of species ; including themselves. War is one sad example.This website has solely been created so we may possibly become more aware of our shortcomings so each of us have the tools available and the knowledge necessary to help make this world a more copacetic place to live.The two legged and the four kinds.
Eva_
The reality of the matter is that more cats being of native species worldwide die from feline-specific diseases spread by the common stray house-cat than all hunting methods combined. Up to and even including lions, cheetahs, and tigers. You have no room to point any fingers, none at all. Did you count your Scottish Wildcats lately? Your invention-of, promotion-of, and faith-in your TNR practices have already driven them to extinction with less than 35 of them left in the whole world. If even that many still exist today. Until you reign-in every last free roaming moggie, you might as well kiss your Scottish Wildcat goodbye too.
But why should that concern you in the least. The British culture has made 421 species extinct in the last 200 years on their own lands That’s more than 2 species PER YEAR. What’s one more, even if it is your one-and-ONLY native cat species.
You’ll never stop destroying your world around you. It’s been inbred into you now.
Mr Real World, you cannot justify sport hunting bobcats just because the English 200 years ago were doing the same thing and exterminating wildlife in England. It’s like justifying child abuse because it happened before.
Also you cannot just make bold statements that the domestic cat has killed more native species than sport hunting through the spread of disease without a lot of supporting evidence and there is none. There is really none. I know that. There is no evidence to support your wild assertions. So please try and keep the lid on your bias and poor attitude.
You are obviously one of those red-necked idiots who likes to kill animals for fun. God I hate idiots like you.
Moron – do your research even if some bobcat died of diseases does not mean one has to kill the rest.
$ Talks_
Thereby, corruption is allowed to proceed. Let’s just say that I pretend to be nieve for a moment, this still wouldn’t change the fact that there is corruption in casting this type of vote and passing it in the first place!!!.
I wonder if these morons shouldn’t go and live in a cave and HAVE to learn to hunt for their own survival?
Eva_freepost
Nieve | Define Nieve at Dictionary.com
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/nieve
Nieve definition, Archaic Northern British and Scot. Dialect. a clenched or closed hand; fist.
Thanks Eva, great comment.