He overturned wildlife protections put in place by Obama
via Flickr user (cc) Mike Lyvers
There’s a perverse, cold-blooded current that runs through a portion of the American psyche that takes joy in slaughtering defenseless animals with high-powered artillery. These folks now have a friend in the White House. A new order signed by President Trump allows hunters in Alaska to shoot and kill hibernating bears and wolf cubs in dens. It also allows hunters to be extra cowardly by shooting wildlife from the safety of helicopters.
Last year, President Obama signed an executive order banning these inhumane hunting practices throughout 76.8 million acres of federally protected national preserves in Alaska. On Monday, they were struck down by President Trump. “What the House did today should shock the conscience of every animal lover in America,” Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelle said in a statement. “If the Senate and president concur, we’ll see wolf families killed in their dens (and) bears chased down by planes.”
Republican Representative Don Young of Alaska was in favor of striking down the regulations, saying it gives the state of Alaska more freedom to manage its own wildlife. “We have to recognize this is not about the little polar bears, the little grizzly bears, or wolves on television, this is about the state’s right to manage—not allowing the federal government to do so,” Young said. “We want to be able to take and manage our fish and game for the sustainable yield—so that our fish and game will be there forever.” Someone should tell Young that Alaska’s wildlife will be even more sustainable if people stop shooting at it.
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