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From: cgeiger@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (charles s. geiger)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: killing wild animals
Message-ID: <2019@ut-ngp.UTEXAS>
Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 11:58:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.2019
Posted: Fri Jul 12 11:58:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 07:30:40 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 38


> >      Woa there! There is a definite moral difference between killing
> > wildlife and supporting the butchering of domestic animals that were
> > raised for that purpose. (Not that I exclusively object to or
> > condone either).

>     So what is that difference?  (I hope you won't think I'm trying to
> retroactively change the question if I specify here hunting where the
> hunter plans on eating the meat obtained.  I certainly don't feel like
> defending psychotics who just enjoy blowing things away.)  If there's
> a definite moral difference, Ed, I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting me
> know what it is?

I don't approve of killing animals anytime; however, for me hunting
is a much less disgusting act because at least those wild animals
have had a taste of really living, of being free (for a while anyway).

Most cows, sheep, and chickens which are raised for human consumption
spend their entire lives cooped up in absolutely awful, inhumane
conditions.  I saw a chicken "ranch" when I was a kid, and I didn't
feel good about eating chickens from then on (I became a vegetarian
a couple of years ago).  These chickens are kept in wire cages,
constantly standing, for their entire lives, fed practially nothing
but growth hormones and drugs which encourage them to eat more.
Cattle are treated similarly.  And I don't care how stupid these
animals are!  Nothing deserves this type of treatment.

# Your state wildlife service (what ever their name) does maintain the
# deer population above the *natural* environment's carring capacity
# because of the assumption that hunters will reduce the population.
# I call this 'raised for that purpose'.  The only problem is Darwin
# gets all messed up!

Like I said before, at least these wild animals have some freedom.
The sad thing about hunting, though, is that people who hunt use
the above (reducing population) as an excuse to hunt.  It seems to
me that re-introducing the natural predators (whom man has hunted
away) would solve that problem a lot easier.