A couple of weeks ago a retired Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife employee went hunting and killed a cougar. He back tracked the cougar's footprints and found three cougar kittens. It's not legal to kill a mother with kittens, but these things happen.
The State of Oregon immediately went into action to save the poor little critters. They were rescued and are being cared for at the Oregon Zoo. Eventually they will be moved to another zoo, I think in North Carolina. I don't know what it is going to cost, but it won't be cheap. Saving nice kitties makes us all feel good. That's the only rationale behind this decision.
Hunters around the State groaned. Since hunting with dogs was outlawed, our State has been overrun by cougars. Rumor is that some State employees have encouraged hunters to use the Three S method if they see a cougar: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up.
Why would we do this - spend thousands of dollars to save an animal that we have too many of? An animal that has a population that is exploding?
Because we want to feel good about what we are doing. Never mind that the money could be spent on doing some real good. We spend to feel good, rather than to do good. The same thing happens when we have an oil spill. The news media flashes images of birds soaked in oil on our TV screens, and volunteers and various state agencies rush into action.
But is rescuing animals caught in an oil spill a good investment? Studies on survival rates suggest that each effectively saved otter from the Exxon Valdez disaster cost around $153,000. The same math applies to seagulls. Each bird effectively saved from the Exxon Valdez cost something in excess of $60,000.
What would you think if I told you that the State of Oregon was buying seagulls to populate our beaches for $60,000 each? You'd be outraged.
Is this the best that we can do? The millions of dollars spent on cleaning photogenic animals could be spent on a permanent set-aside of land for wildlife refuges. Or perhaps to feeding hungry humans.
Don't get me wrong. Wildlife is great, and oil spills are an enormous tragedy. And I hate the thought of an animal suffering. But can't we spend the money more effectively? On something of lasting value, instead of on something that temporarily makes us feel good?
It's the same with hunting cougars with dogs. Bad, right? No animal should be chased by dogs and then shot down from a tree, right? Since hunting cougars with dogs was outlawed in Oregon, the job falls to State employees. Well, guess how the State of Oregon hunts cougars? With dogs, of course. What we have accomplished is that instead of allowing private citizens to pay for the privilege of hunting cougars, we pay government employees to do the same thing. But, hey, we can at least feel good about it, right?
Anyway, think about it. Let's all stop trying to feel good, and focus a little more on doing good.
If you find my blog interesting, please enter your email (at upper right) and you will receive blog updates.
No comments:
Post a Comment