MAILBOX

Friday, January 25, 1991 ~ North Shore News - 7

Trapper | Focus on cruelty, not fur industry

explains fur facts

Dear Editor:

I own a trapline in B.C., have been in the business for nine years, and have completed the Trapper Education Pro- gram. Having read Lee Wat- son’s letter to the editor in the Sunday, Dec. 30, 1990 issue of the News, I would like to point out several inaccuracies:

¢ Possibly 80 per cent of traps used today are designed to kill instantly.

¢ Watson is presenting in- correct information as faci. Animals caught in live traps are never clubbed or stomped on. They are shot between the eyes. 1 havz2 never heard of anyone standing on an animal’s chest to kill it.

© Watson’s statistics are nonsense. For every 10 animals. no more than 10 per cent are non-target animals, with 85 per cent of those being ravens and fiying squirrels. Trappers do not cali any animals ‘‘trash animals.’’ Set- ting traps is time-consuming and great care is taken not to catch non-target animals.

*Watson is attemptiug to perpetuate an-old myth. I have Never witnessed any animal chewing its own limbs off to free itself. If traps are checked regularly (as per regulations), there should be no problems.

® **Ranch-raising”’ is exactly equivalent to the beef, hog, sheep, chicken or fish farming industries. Does Watson pro- pose to fight these too?

Trapping is a harvestable and renewable resource that employs a large number of peopie in Canada. Perhaps Lee Watson should spend more

time getting his facts straight.

Watson and similar over- enthusiastic crusaders (most of whom wear leather and eat animal products) might help the world more by directing their energy to solving univer- sal problems, rather than dic- tating: to others on matters of personal choice.

Sohn Fleishman North Vancouver

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Dear Editor:

In the Mailbox section of the Jan. 2 North Shore News the animal rights activists have a field day with Constantine Pappas.

If all the anti-fur crusaders are vegetarians [ can ai least respect their views, but not their selective attacks. Chickens, pigs, sheep,

and cattle are not cute, so they can be fattened up in captiv'ty like the victims at a cannibals feast. Fish, too, are caught and slaughtered with great cruelty. Would it be alright if we kept mink, foxes, sables, and martens on a ranch, used them for meat and threw the fur away?

Men have always used animals

for many purposes other than food — think of horsehide, raw- hide, woo! and sheepskin. Animals have also used men — and sometimes women and children —- for food, but did not find their skins useful.

When you have persuaded hu- manity to eschew the use of all farms of animal life for any pur-

pose, you will then have the right to complain about our use of furs.

In the meantime you would do better to concentrate your efforts on eliminating cruelty in kecping and killing any form of animal ife.

C.D.L. Dyke West Vancouver

Fur profits don’t benefit native Canadians

Dear Editor:

I would like to compliment Lee Watson for his concise summary of the sufferings of all fur-bearing animals inflicted by the fur trade.

I plan to send copies to my MP and others asking why the federal government is spending nearly $2

million to persuade the European community not to ban the impor- tation of furs.

The suggestion. that this is essential for the indigenous peo- ple’s way of life is ridiculous; prior to the trading companies they did not have leg-hold traps nor trade in furs. Most of the

WV crosswalk ‘dangerous’

Dear Editor:

Yesterday, 1 watched in horror 2 man nearly get killed in the crosswalk of 20th and Bellevue in West Vancouver, just weeks since Mr. Phelan was killed.

Cars coming up the sharp little hill had stopped for the man who proceeded to the centre. A truck travelling east at a good clip just carried right on to the crosswalk.

Thank God the man hesitated — then went over to the driver to shout at him that a man had just died a month ago at the very spot.

The truck driver did not apolo- gize for not stopping. He pro-

ceeded to shout obscenities.

"ve brought this matter up at council meetings as more highrises being built on 18th Street means more traffic. Drivers can ‘make time’’ on Bellevue as there are no lights and no cops.

The crosswalk is dangerous — it should be moved across the street. Drivers cannot stop fast enough up the short hill and they are right on top of the crosswalk before they can see it.

How many more must die be- fore something is done?

June Vos West Vancouver

profits go to the furriers, not the few indigenous trappers.

Today, most people live in heated homes, travel in heated cars and planes and have no need of furs. Even winter-sports en- thusiasts prefer thinly insulated clothing.

Why add to our enormous na-

tional debt supporting an unneed- ed and cruel industry?

We should ban the feg-hold trap immediately and either save nearly $2 million or spend it saving habitat and Canada’s good name.

June Cherry West Vancouver

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