URGENT ALERT -- PLS READ: Humane Activist Network Action

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and fellow animal lovers,

 

RE: SUPPORT of AB 342, the bear hounding bill

 

The Humane Society of the US and the Fund for Animals have activated the Humane

Activist Network in support of California Assembly Bill AB 342. Please take a

few minutes to (1) send emails or make phone calls (too late for letters) to

Assemblymember Paul Kortez (to thank him for introducing the bill) AND to

members of the Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife of the California State

Assembly in support of this bill by Friday, April 4; and (2) immediately forward

this email to all friends, family members, colleagues and acquaintances in

California who are animal advocates. The phone calls and emails do not need to

be lengthy. See below for further details. As always, for the animals, THANK

YOU for your efforts!

 

Nadine May

 

Here is the informational fact sheet and contact info.

 

" It is imperative that we generate more calls and emails. Unfortunately, I was

notified by DC on Friday that the hunters have surpassed our activists in their

efforts to oppose this legislation. We anticipate anywhere from 300-1000 of

them to be at the hearings on the 8th, whereas we expect about 65 animal

activists thus far. . . . I am hopeful that with your efforts this bill can

prevail.

 

Phone calls or emails can be made to

Assemblymember.Koretz or to the committee members listed

at the end of this email fact sheet. (If the activists are within the

district of one of these members, they should certainly contact that

person; otherwise, it would be ok to contact any or all of them.)

 

Your help is needed! Help stop hound hunting of bears and bobcats in

California. Please circulate this action alert to ALL animal advocates,

especially those in California!

 

In California, hunters can use packs of radio-collared dogs to hunt

bears and bobcats. Even when it is not a legal hunting season for these

animals, so-called " pursuit " seasons for " dog training " allow the

harassment to continue. It is legal to use packs of hounds for up to

11 months of the year, subjecting wildlife to nearly year-round

harassment, hunting, and acute vulnerability to poachers. California

hound hunters kill more bears than hound hunters in any other state.

 

Six key points are listed below. You can use these arguments in your

emails and phone calls. Below these six points is a block of email

addresses for members of the Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife of

the California State Assembly. These addresses are listed one next to

another, separated by commas, so that you can copy and paste this block

into the section of your email program. This allows you to

contact each member in one email. PLEASE BE SURE TO PUT " VOTE YES ON

A.B.342 - STOP HOUND HUNTING! " IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAILS! If you have

time to say or write only one line, here it is in a nutshell: Tell the

legislators that dogs chasing bears or bobcats results in fear, injuries and

death to both dogs and the wildlife. If you want to be more specific, see the

" talking points " below.

 

Below that is a list of key committee members that need to hear from you

by phone AND email! Please note that Barbara Matthews does not have email, so

please phone her. Please get those phone lines burning!

 

1. Hound hunting is unsporting. Typically, a trophy hunter

releases a pack of hounds to pursue their quarry. The hounds

relentlessly chase the animal, mauling and killing hapless cubs or other

young if they get in the way. Eventually, the frightened animal climbs

a tree to escape. The hunter then shoots the trapped animal from the

tree. If the animal is not dead when it falls to the ground, it is

quickly attacked by the dogs.

 

2. The hounding of bears in California is even more unsporting

because hunters are allowed to use radio telemetry. Dogs are fitted

with radio collars to allow tracking by the hunter. Once a signal

becomes stationary, the hunter knows that a bear has been treed. All he

or she has to do is follow the radio signal to his treed target.

 

3. The voters of Washington and Oregon recently passed ballot

measures restricting the use of hounds for hunting bears and other

animals by 63% and 58% majorities, respectively.

 

4. Hound hunting is highly stressful to wildlife. Hounds can

pursue their quarry for hours. In two bear-chase studies, scientists

noted average chase lengths of 3.2 hours and 1.9 hours with some chases

lasting 12 hours and covering 29 kilometers. Long chases can severely

stress bears, causing overheating and potential brain damage. During

chases, mother and young may become permanently separated in which case

the young may succumb to starvation, predation or accidental death.

 

5. Hounds may catch and kill their prey. If a wild animal under

pursuit by hounds does not quickly tree, it may be caught and killed by

dogs. Bears and bobcats will sometimes turn and fight their pursuers -

resulting in brutal fights.

 

Hounds are sometimes known to tear apart the young. In his analysis of

pursuit seasons, Jim Reick of the Washington Department of Fish and Game

wrote: " Discussions with hound hunters and wildlife managers reveal

that some animals are caught on the ground and killed or injured by the

dogs. This happens most often with bobcat, raccoon, and black bear cubs

in the spring. "

 

6. Hound hunting is cruel to the dogs. Dogs may be crippled and

killed by a wild animal. In one bear chase study, scientists noted that

a dog died four hours into the chase from " exhaustion. " In a chase of a

female bear with three cubs, a " fight lasted 10 minutes after which the

dogs were removed because she was wounding them. " Fifteen days later, a

chase of this same bear resumed. Again, " the dogs fought with her and

were finally removed because the handlers feared injury to the dogs. "

In his study, Allen noted that " larger bears often chose to run a while

and then stand their ground and fight. "

 

Assemblymember.Canciamilla,

Assemblymember.keene,

Assemblymember.berg,

Assemblymember.bermudez,

Assemblymember.dymally,

Assemblymember.Parra,

Assemblymember.wolk,

Assemblymember.Daucher,

Assemblymember.Shirley.Horton,

Assemblymember.mccarthy,

Assemblymember.plescia

 

 

Joseph Canciamilla, Chair

(916) 319-2011

Assemblymember.Canciamilla

 

Rick Keene, Vice Chair

(916) 319-2003

Assemblymember.keene

 

Patty Berg

(916) 319-2001

Assemblymember.berg

 

Rudy Bermúdez

(916) 319-2056

Assemblymember.bermudez

 

Mervyn M. Dymally

(916) 319-2052

Assemblymember.dymally

 

Nicole Parra

(916) 319-2030

Assemblymember.Parra

 

Lois Wolk

(916) 319-2008

Assemblymember.wolk

 

Lynn Daucher

(916) 319-2072

Assemblymember.Daucher

 

Shirley Horton

(916) 319-2078

Assemblymember.Shirley.Horton

 

Barbara S. Matthews

(916) 319-2017

No email, please call.

 

Kevin McCarthy

(916) 319-2032

Assemblymember.mccarthy

 

George A. Plescia

(916) 319-2075

Assemblymember.plescia