LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Trophy hunters’ ranks shrinking

Fri, Jul 3, 2020 (2 a.m.)

A friend sent me a copy of the June 21 letter “Wildlife board is unbalanced.”

If the letter writer thinks Nevada’s Wildlife Commission is biased, she needs to see how Pennsylvania’s operates. It is made up exclusively of hunters and trappers (we have a separate fish and boat commission), whereas you have at least one non-hunter or industry crony.

She is correct in how various states’ wildlife agencies are staffed. The trophy-hunting industry has a stranglehold on them via, among other things, donations to state legislators and governors. There is also the endless perpetuation of the myth that trophy hunting is a benefit to all wildlife and citizens as well as the economy.

In fact, most if not all state and even federal wildlife agencies practice game management, not true wildlife management. The two are light-years apart and the former is detrimental to the environment as a whole, not just wildlife.

Studies and programs have proven that the reintroduction of natural predators, as opposed to human hunters greatly improves the ecosystem.

Unfortunately, we are facing a well entrenched and subsidized industry with numerous dedicated organizations. On the bright side, hunters are headed for extinction. In a five-year period, their numbers declined by over 2 million nationwide according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — that out of a previous total of approximately 16 million nationwide.

At this point, it’s just a matter of time.

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