Colton Morris, 28, knelt on the concrete floor of a warehouse in rural Ohio, carefully combing the fur on a pile of coyote pelts with a wire brush before putting them up for auction. A sunny but chilly morning greeted him and around 150 other buyers and sellers at the event in the small settlement […]
Tag: wildlife crime
POLL: Should all wolves be stripped of federal protection?
In an incredibly disappointing, but not entirely surprising move, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced its intention to strip gray wolves of federal protection in the lower 48, which their advocates fear will be a death sentence for them. Gray wolves have already faced such heavy persecution that we nearly killed every […]
POLL: Is it cruel to set up nets that prevent birds nesting?
A battle broke out at the weekend over a hedge in Lincolnshire. The hedge, near the town of Winterton, was covered in netting by Partner Construction, which has applied for planning permission to build 40 homes on the site. This is standard practice, the developer said, in order to prevent birds from nesting in a […]
POLL: Should the commercial trade in captive-bred tigers be banned?
The first thing that hit the inspectors was the smell. It was a sweltering midsummer day in Prague, and they had just opened an unplugged freezer filled with the rotting remains of tigers, lions and cougars. Pavla Rihova, the lead environmental inspector on the scene, said she had never seen anything like it. “I have […]
POLL: Should the salmon-farming industry be allowed to slaughter seals?
Seals are supposed to be protected under UK law, but salmon farmers can get a special licence that makes it legal for them to shoot and kill these marine animals, who are just trying to feed themselves and their families in order to survive. The shooting continues throughout the animals’ breeding season, which takes place […]
POLL: Should Iceland be sanctioned for approving the killing of hundreds of whales?
Iceland’s being condemned for recently approving the killing of hundreds whales over the next five years. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling in 1986, but like Japan, Iceland continued to use the scientific whaling loophole. After leaving the IWC in the 1990s in protest and returning in 2002, Iceland resumed scientific whaling in […]
POLL: Should there be a federal ban on the use of lead ammunition?
Lead has been public enemy number one for decades due to its negative health effects. Legislators have enacted laws to protect citizens, but they’ve neglected our nation’s emblem: the bald eagle. Recent cases of bald eagle poisonings highlight the need for a national ban on lead ammunition and fishing tackle. In early February, a bald […]
POLL: Should big cats be protected from the exotic pet trade?
Animal advocates are applauding members of Congress for reintroducing legislation that would protect both us and big cats by banning private ownership. It’s currently estimated that there are more than 10,000 big cats being kept as pets or in roadside zoos in the U.S., but no one knows exactly where they are or who owns […]
