Voters support animal rights measures

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Voters support animal rights measures

 

WILDLIFE PROTECTIONS PREVAIL IN 5 RACES; HUNTING GROUPS FAIL TO CURB INITIATIVES

 

BY PAUL ROGERS

Mercury News

November 13, 2000

http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/nation/docs/hunting13.htm

 

Animal rights groups bested hunters this year at ballot boxes across the United

States.

 

Of the eight initiatives affecting various forms of hunting or trapping, animal

rights groups won five races.

 

" Americans obviously believe in a fundamental way that animals deserve humane

and fair treatment, " said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane

Society of the United States, based in Washington, D.C.

 

Although they took comfort in some victories, hunting rights groups lost two

far-reaching efforts that would have banned wildlife initiatives in Alaska and

required two-thirds approval of all wildlife initiatives in Arizona.

 

" Regretfully, voters in these states did not realize the benefits of restricting

wildlife-related ballot initiatives, " said Walter Pidgeon, president of the

Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, based in Columbus, Ohio. " As it stands,

sportsmen must continue to worry about outsiders coming into their states and

manipulating wildlife management via the ballot box. "

 

Twenty-four states allow residents to place measures on the statewide ballot for

a public vote. In the past decade, animal rights groups, led by the Humane

Society, have chipped away at various hunting practices -- from bans on mountain

lion hunting and leg-hold traps in California to bans on bearbaiting in other

states.

 

Since 1977, there have been at least 30 ballot measures on hunting nationwide.

Of those, animal rights groups have won 16 and hunting groups have won 14.

 

In addition to the two measures in Alaska and Arizona on future wildlife

initiatives, the following were this year's victories for animal rights groups:

 

- In Montana, voters narrowly approved a measure by 52-48 percent to ban new

game farm licenses and " canned hunts " of elk and other big game at private

ranches. Some hunting groups opposed the measure; others supported it.

 

- In Washington state, voters approved by 55-45 percent an initiative to ban

leg-hold traps.

 

- In Alaska, voters approved by 53-47 percent a measure to ban the shooting of

wolves from airplanes.

 

 

But hunters did not come away empty handed:

 

- In Oregon, voters rejected a measure to ban the use of steel-jawed leg-hold

traps by 61-39 percent.

 

- In North Dakota, voters overwhelmingly approved by 80-20 percent a largely

symbolic measure to add new language to the state constitution " recognizing the

value of hunting to be forever preserved. "

 

- In Virginia, voters approved a similar initiative by 61-39 percent that amends

the Virginia Constitution to establish a `right to hunt, fish and harvest game. "

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