This commentary is by Marc Cydan, a resident of Rutland.
I have been following with a certain degree of horror the lack of compassion shown by legislators and administrators for not only wildlife, but for our pets and children.
Traps of any kind, leghold and body-gripping, should be outlawed in the interest of public safety if for no other reason. In the case of a recent victim, a Castleton German shepherd dog, if this had been a toddler who ran from a caretaker and had been caught in the trap, they would be dead. Those of us with children and grandchildren know that a toddler can be fast and be away from the control of a parent in a flash.
Public trails and trappers do not mix and in today’s Vermont, it is the public whose rights should be considered paramount, not the minority who trap. Are the tourists, who we court for their dollar flow into Vermont, aware that these traps could be poised to spring along any public trail? This is not an isolated incident.
I see a different population emerging in this state as new people, who were in fact recruited to come here, arrive to replace the old guard. One that is horrified that hounds are allowed to run on their property in pursuit of raccoons, bears and coyotes and wonder who is looking out for their rights.
Many homeowners and farmers will tell you that deer are destructive and overly numerous, in part due to lack of natural predation from coyotes. Bear hounding kills cubs when the mothers are killed, a fact that unsettles many of us. We may eat meat, but we don’t want it tortured first.
If we are to be a humane society, we need to rein in practices that are harmful, and embrace those that are beneficial. Hunting deer, duck, turkey and other game birds provides a source of outdoor experiences and food and does not require hounds to chase them to exhaustion. I no longer know anyone who wears fur, nor do I know many people who prefer bear meat when they choose game.
At least make it a fair fight. Hunting is a humane and a reasonable way to provide food for our tables. What is the purpose of trapping in today’s world of better, synthetic fabrics?
The largest question here is, why is the state of Vermont still pandering to those who insist on violating property rights? I have never met anyone who welcomed hounds running through their property and at times they and their panicked quarry damage property, but the owners of the dogs say they are allowed and are not responsible.
Not responsible is the optimum term here. These people are quickly being replaced by people who do not see wholesale cruelty as beneficial to society as a whole. What is the logic behind allowing the rights of a relatively small group of trappers to supersede the rights of the people who wish to walk on trails and explore Vermont?
I see a number of potential lawsuits in the future for allowing such practices to continue unchecked when it is a known fact that these traps kill and maim pets from unsuspecting walkers. I hope that we never hear of a child being maimed or killed due to an unattended trap.
I was caught in a leghold trap as a young child and can attest to the pain and terror felt by an animal snared in the jaws. It is most certainly a cruel and barbaric way to catch an animal. If you must kill an animal, do it humanely and safely with a quick bullet. To allow suffering, to risk pets and people, is inviting lawsuits and, in a word, irresponsible.
I sincerely hope Vermont Fish & Wildlife will do the right thing and bring Vermont out of this bygone backwoods mentality and into the more vibrant economy that it is poised to be. Hunting and population growth can coexist. There is no longer a need or a place for trapping in our state.
