Sometimes words fail. How often
can you use these words, sincerely and accurately each time, and still have them hit as hard as you want
them to: heinous, horrific, hideous, dreadful, shameful, despicable, unconscionable,
immoral, unethical, inhumane, murderous, cruel, reprehensible, criminal . .
.?
Sometimes, in the midst of the awful things that regularly happen to animals, a form of animal torture that’s new to
you takes place. It’s not accidental and
it’s not at all necessary, but for those very reasons, it strikes you as being
even worse than other animal cruelty.
In Winslow Township, Camden County, NJ, families are invited to take part in a squirrel-killing contest. You read it right, unfortunately. Next Saturday, February 16, squirrels in the
area will become targets for family
members competing for prizes for killing them. Who would even think of such a sick thing to
do?
Would-be squirrel killers may use guns or bow and arrow -- “Whatever is
legal in New Jersey -- this is hunting season,” said the man whose contact info
is included on the event flyer. Weight (overall
or single killed squirrel?) will determine prizes.
After the event, will school-age squirrel-killers tell all their
classmates about their “family fun” over the weekend? Then will they grow up believing that killing
squirrels is normal or acceptable? And will their carefully honed homicidal
tendencies spread to other animals? Finally,
will they eventually encourage in their own children the same murderous outlook?
Many people enjoy watching the
antics of squirrels, often feeding them too. But in Winslow Township, people kill squirrels. For family fun.
I keep stressing
the word family here because that
part of this sick event is especially monstrous and repugnant. Children should not be taught by example that
killing animals is a good thing to do, when in fact, it’s a needless and very
cruel thing to do!
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| APLNJ pic |
Instead, Winslow parents and all
parents -- who for better or worse are role models for their kids -- should be teaching
them to shun such animal cruelty and respect the sanctity of all life. Children should be learning to respect
wildlife and our environment -- not how to kill squirrels for prizes and
trophies!
Innocent squirrels
should not be killed for “sport” (such a misused word here). In Winslow, this “1st annual”
killing event is sponsored by Inskip Antler Hunting Club, a private organization,
under the banner of the southern region of the NJ State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, of all things. Surprise gifts are offered to “every apprentice hunter who
attends” -- with hunting on the decline, this sounds like an effort to
create a whole new generation of inhumane adults, a.k.a. hunters.
(Speaking for
Winslow Township administration, Mayor Barry Wright wrote in response to my email
protesting the killing contest, “. . . neither I
nor Winslow Twp. are sponsoring this event nor do we have the legal authority
to stop it .”)
This “Squirrel
Classic” (nothing “classic” about it except its cruelty!) is simply un-civilized in 2019, when more and more
animal-protection legislation is being passed in New Jersey. Clearly, Winslow Township is going in the wrong
direction. If the protests over this “1st
annual” event don’t prompt sponsors to cancel their backward idea, Winslow Township
deserves to become the target of scorn statewide for permitting such a
thing to happen.
I wrote earlier
that this form of animal torture was new to me. No longer.
The article linked below is all about WKCs -- Wildlife Killing Contests.
Read it and weep. After that, join the effort to pass
legislation that would end these (heinous,
horrific, hideous, dreadful, shameful, despicable, unconscionable, immoral,
unethical, inhumane, murderous, cruel, reprehensible, criminal . . .) WKCs
in New Jersey.
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| Happy Lunar New Year! |
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