Our Position on Hunting
Our organization is not opposed to hunting when the hunters eat what they kill out of necessity or because they prefer wild foods to meat sourced from industrial animal agriculture. Our coalition partners hold a diversity of positions on hunting. However, we are all pro-science, pro-democracy, pro-justice and in favor of treating wild animals with compassion and respect, which is why we believe the system of wildlife management in the U.S. must be changed.
Opinion: Missouri’s upcoming black bear trophy hunt is reckless and irresponsible
By Cody Atkinson. Originally published in the Missouri Independent
With its trophy hunt on black bears in the state set to begin in a few days, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has taken a reckless and irresponsible turn. A turn against science. A turn against ecology. A turn against public values.
Like many wildlife agencies around the country, and driven by its governor-appointed commission, the MDC is trapped in a century-old mindset, one that assumes we must kill bears to conserve them.
Opinion: Nevada’s wildlife commission is broken. Is it beyond repair?
By Patrick Donnelly. This piece originally appeared in the Nevada Independent
Nevada’s Board of Wildlife Commissioners is intentionally designed to protect the entrenched interests of people who shoot wildlife. By promoting policies exclusively designed to improve opportunity for hunters, they have perpetuated an unjust system which benefits a small number of Nevadans.
Wildlife for All national campaign launched to transform wildlife conservation
(LAS CRUCES, NM) Today the Southwest Environmental Center announced that it is launching Wildlife for All, a national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecological-driven, democratic and compassionate.
“This is the culmination of our three decades of advocacy for wildlife,” said Kevin Bixby, executive director. “Wildlife management in every state is stuck in the past, a legacy of when wild animals were viewed as inanimate resources, without consideration of their importance in natural ecosystems or intrinsic worth. It’s time to align our conservation efforts with modern ecological knowledge and changing public attitudes. We can’t stave off the Sixth Extinction crisis without this kind of systemic change.”
