Letter: Writer was biased and misinformed

Posted 3/31/20

To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article by Dennis Tabella , director, Defenders of Animals, Inc.

What a bunch of bull. He is biased and not properly informed.

Hunting is …

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Letter: Writer was biased and misinformed

Posted

To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article by Dennis Tabella, director, Defenders of Animals, Inc.

What a bunch of bull. He is biased and not properly informed.

Hunting is a centuries-old practice that has been done by generations of Americans. Hunting is a sport that has been passed on from fathers to their sons and daughters. I have been a hunter for more than 50 years. I was introduced to hunting by my father when I was only 5 years old and I cherished those times that I hunted with my dad.

There is no Department of Wildlife as mentioned by Mr. Tabella. There is however, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). This agency is NOT decidedly "pro-hunter." However, it is their job to regulate and enforce all laws that govern hunting. They also educate hunters on several topics, first and foremost, the proper handling of firearms. They also educate hunters on the conservation and preservation of wildlife.

What is Mr. Tabella's true underlying reasons in his article?

Does he just hate guns?

He never mentioned trapping or fishing. Is fishing any more humane? The fish are caught and thrown on ice to freeze and suffocate.

What is the difference between hunting and trapping? Trapping an animal often results in them being dispatched with a firearm to ensure the safety of the trapper after an animal is stressed after potentially being snared for several hours.

Animals were not only put on Earth by God for us to look at. They were also placed here to provide for humans. Hunting and trapping provide food and products that are essential to the well-being of the hunter/trapper and their families. Nothing is more organic than lean venison, or wild turkey.

Hunting also culls the herd and controls the wildlife to prevent overpopulation. Is it more humane for animals to starve or be highway casualties because they become overpopulated and continue to lose habitat? Is it a less traumatic sight seeing dead animals on the roadways?

Lastly, I do not support hunting only as a sport. If an animal is taken, I shame the person who wastes the carcass and does not use what was provided by that animal.

Maybe Mr. Tabella should be more concerned with the defense of plants.

Al Benzing

Barrington

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