Earlier this week, the world watched in horror as an American hunter used a practice widely regarded as inhumane to lure a curious bear onto a bait site in order to take its life.
Bear baiting is a form of unethical hunting, frowned upon by ethical hunters and animal advocates alike, and baiting an animal has repercussions on more than just the targeted animal. Baiting is legal in 13 states, including New Hampshire, and it is an unacceptable practice.
Baiting a bear involves leaving out candy, donuts and other sweet treats to lure a target into an area where the hunter is waiting to take the unsuspecting animal. The food left out is unhealthy for other species and mother bears who are killed leave behind cubs without adequate protection. Furthermore, baiting, because it increases the caloric intake of the bears who are not killed, increases reproductive success, which leads to an increase in bear populations thereby making it an ineffective method to control bear numbers.
Residents of New Hampshire must urge their lawmakers to see that this is an unethical practice that should be outlawed.
PATRICIA FINOS
Meredith