Crow bounty cruel and ridiculous.
national |
animal rights |
press release 
Monday November 05, 2007 20:41
by Ciaran Long - Association Of Hunt Saboteurs.
The AOHS would like to refute the claims by farmers that Crows are attacking lambs. We accept that birds live on carrion but the statement that birds are attacking live animals is ludicrous.
Even more so is the proposition by Jim Higgins to put a bounty on these birds to be paid to Ireland's gun-toting brigade. Surely this MEP has more pressing issues to deal with rather than advocating and encouraging the slaughter of defenceless birds.
Voilence towards animals is widespread enough in this country with two dogs being hung last week in a public park and with thousands of guns already held by shooters for the sole purpose of killing birds and wildlife for fun.
' Jim Higgins should be ashamed of himself to be advocating animal abuse and for suggesting using taxpayers money to fund blatant cruelty.Farmers we have consulted never heard of crows attacking lambs.
The MEP must have been watching too many horror movies over Halloween!'
Text from article News of the World 28th October 2007:
An Irish MEP has called for a bounty of one euro to be placed on the head of all crows and magpies. Fine Gael's Jim Higgins urged the cull after farmers alerted him to the growing number of attacks by the birds on lambs.
And the North West Euro deputy insisted Minister Eamon ó Cuiv must introduce the bounty for shotgun owners.
"We need urgent and drastic action," he said.
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4The Effect of Hooded Crows on Hill Sheep Farming in Argyll, Scotland: Hooded Crow Damage to Hill Sheep
David Houston
The Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Apr., 1977), pp. 17-29
doi:10.2307/2401823.
Abstract:
(1) Crows are blamed by sheep farmers for killing lambs and, to a lesser extent, for attacking the eyes of trapped ewes. (2) Crow damage to `couped' or trapped ewes caused only slight economic damage. (3) Crow predation on lambs was evaluated in comparison with other causes of lamb mortality. A survey of the causes of death, excluding crow predation, showed that out of 297 lambs found dead on the hill the major causes of death were starvation (48%), still-birth (22%) and disease (9%). (4) Crows attacked 48% of lambs found dead on the hill. Examination of the wounds showed that only 17% of these lambs were alive when attacked. The body condition of the latter showed that in most cases the lambs had exhausted their fat reserves and were on the point of starvation before being attacked. Crows did not select healthy lambs, and the range of body condition of lambs attacked was similar to lambs dying without being attacked. (5) In most cases crows killed only lambs that would die anyway. About one in 850 lambs born were healthy lambs which would-probably have survived had there not been a crow attack.
Ludicrous indeed....facts beat emotion every time.
Also the vast majority of lambs attacked by crows would not be included in those figures as they don't die. Crows often attack the eyes of the lambs and while seriously wounding them don't kill them.
Of course for the animal rightsers this is part of the beautiful circle of life and shows how noble animals are while illustrating how humans who shoot crows are evil sadistic scum.
I'm glad to hear that the majority of lambs manage to live full and free lives without the risk of any kind of maltreatment or risk of being killed in infancy, and that all of us, crows, lambs and carnivores can live in harmony together.
Forget the Grey Crows, what about the Grey Squirrels which are creating havoc in our
native woodlands and are driving the Red Squirrel to extinction.
Put a bounty on these Greys and forget about the few miserable sheep which will die anyway.
But then, are there any votes in squirrels?
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