Treatment of animals is always a hot-button issue and it came to forefront of discussion in Cochrane and across the province last week after two incidents had people outraged.
Here in Cochrane, the plight of Charlee, a cat that was found in a rural area with its legs zip-tied together, grabbed headlines. She was brought to the Cochrane and Area Humane Society with her back leg damaged to the point the damage resulted in amputation.
A hunter also received backlash after posting a video of his spear hunt of a bear. That incident was met with debate over hunting laws and which weapons hunters should be allowed to use.
Both incidents have people calling for stricter laws. In the case of Charlee, the humane society wants tougher animal abuse laws and has asked people to support Bill C-246, a federal bill to modernize the animal protection act.
In the case of the hunter the province has expressed support for banning the use of spears in hunting.
Charlee’s case is clear-cut abuse and while unlikely the perpetrator will be found cases such as these should be punished to the full extent of the law. When it comes to Bill C-246, while stronger and up-to-date laws are important and the Bill does address issues – such as the import of shark fins – that were not a concern when it was first drafted, they must be crafted to avoid ambiguity.
Critics of the Bill, fear language within the bill could unfairly target hunter and anglers. While that might not be the intent, it is essential that laws be clear to not create a situation that they can be exploited by special interest groups.
When it comes to the hunter, the case is not as simple. While many have reasons to take issue with spear hunter Josh Bowmar’s methods and attitudes, it is an over-emotional response for the Alberta Government to consider banning spears from hunting.
Whether hunters use bows, guns, or spears they are going to receive backlash from people who are against hunting. The issue shouldn’t be the tool of the trade but the method of the hunt.
Most hunters endeavor to treat their prey as humanly as possible and ensure they are not wasting the animals they hunt.
The litmus test of a humane hunt can’t be the hunter’s weapon of choice but how it is wielded. A person with low skill with a rifle will cause more suffering to an animal than a person with a lot of skill using a bow or a spear.
“Alberta’s animal protection laws say it best: No person shall cause an animal to be in distress.” It specifies that means that section does not apply” if the distress results from an activity carried on in accordance with the regulations or in accordance with reasonable and generally accepted practices of animal care, management, husbandry, hunting, fishing, trapping, pest control or slaughter.”
While we need to punish people who do harm such as the case with Charlee, we must ensure we balance protection with allowing people to continue practices that might be essential to their livelihood.
Punishing an entire group for the actions of one is the kind of knee-jerk reaction legislators should avoid.
