has the world gone daft?

[randyt]

check out this link and the mounties caved in.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/rcmp-sw...tive-1.2028529

[hunter63]

That's is pretty sad......

[Tokwan]

sad for the Mounties or the Muskrats?

[JPGreco]

it's sad to a greater extent than just the mounties decision

[2dumb2kwit]

sad for the Mounties or the Muskrats?

For the sheep, who will now be breed and kept in small nasty pens, so they can be sheered every so often for their wool, to make the new beenies.

The sheep probably wish they could live free.......like muskrats.

[Tokwan]

Hehehe..I think of it as going to the barber often,.,.who knows one day the sheep breeder will make tons of money and starts grooming his flock to look like thos poodles with the poodle haircut...hehehehehe

[WolfVanZandt]

I have a polyester (well, plastic fiber of some kind) hat like that - it's pretty comfortable in the winter time.

When I hear "caving in". I think of doing something that's wrong to satisfy others.

Compromising on something that doesn't matter isn't "caving in". There's no principle at stake here.

(Did I use the word "principle"? Usually a "principle" is something that you adhere strongly to without knowing why you adhere to it. I have no principles.)

[Tokwan]

Yep...I don't look at this as caving in either...as we all know...there are always alternatives....just like survival..we always dwell on alternatives...instead of using a match or a lighter, we used firesteel...instead of sleeping in a tent, some would use the hammock...instead of using machetes, some would use the saw or the axe..there is no right or wrong...it could be an improvement and to show that Mounties are no more encouraging the killing of wildlife for pelts or fur...this kinda helps with the wildlife preservation...I see nno wrong here but more towards..more right...as wool based hats/caps should be more warmer and comfy....

[randyt]

The muskrat over population cycle of a marsh is a sight to behold, it's called a eat off.. Wild life management is important. This is why I use the term caving in, the mounties know this.

[Rick]

Randy, that statement implies that the RCMP switching to another fur will cause an over population of muskrats. That may or may not be true, I have no way of knowing. It would be interesting to know what percentage of global muskrat furs the RCMP need makes up. According to this article, the RCMP purchase 3000 new hats each year and another 1000 for the Honor Guard. That would be between 8000 and 12000 pelts if the article is accurate. That seems like a lot of pelts to me but I don't know how many are used world wide.

http://furbearerdefenders.com/what-w...is-the-problem

Apparently China "can't get enough of them".

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index....s_price_f.html

[MrFixIt]

I guess coonskin hats are next...

[randyt]

It won't cause a over population. There are many fur harvesters, many muskrats and a demand for pelts.

[Rick]

Governments (at least yours and mine) tend to bend with the wind. Neither are particularly noted for doing the right thing. And neither are particularly noted for knowing what to do when it comes to wildlife. They seldom get it right. My guess is the trappers associations weren't lobbying as hard as the anti-trapping crowd. That might be a lesson learned. It might be a good time to contact whichever association you belong to and your local Territorial Minister and Provincial Representative and ask them what the heck they are doing.

You might also ask them where the Merino wool is coming from and where the hats are made.

[WolfVanZandt]

I have a serious problem with game management as it is. For instance, Alabama has a problem with deer. It's difficult to drive with all the deer. Why is there a deer population problem. Well, hunters wiped out the deer population early on and then game managers decided it would be good for hunting if they repopulated the state with deer. Only, in the meantime, they wiped out the natural predator (which humans are not), wolves. Natural predators control prey populations. Hunters do not control prey populations. Alabama also has the same problem with feral hogs (although that was the bright idea of Alabama hunters, not game managers). Alabama is also developing the same problem with Western Cougars; that can be placed on the account of both Alabama hunters and Alabama farmers who thought it would be a good idea to get rid of the fairly untroublesome Florida panthers.

Science has learned that chaos throws a monkeywrench into scientific endeavors by introducing the Unexpected Consequence. Game managers, hunters, and farmers haven't caught wind of this while pursuing their "scientific progress", and they don't really care as long as they think they're improving their short term bottom line and as long as politicians (which game managers tend to be) are busy keeping their constituents happy.

I'm not particularly sympathetic toward the muskrats (I would happily eat one if I were hungry without feeling the least guilt about removing their furry little life from them), nor am I particularly sympathetic toward the hat makers, the game managers, the hunters, or the farmers as long as they manage their bottom lines to the exclusion of the rest of the world. What I would like to see is people working together to make the world work. I don't see a lot of that happening. "We" (as a collective people - meaning the knowledge is there) know what works. Politics and self-centeredness just keeps getting in the way.

[LowKey]

Looks like the Canadian government may overturn the mounties' decision
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ottawa-...ques-1.2032174

Everything in life is a trade off. Like the article says, wear synthetic, you drill for oil. Wear wool and you contribute to global warming via farming and perhaps tenuously through the flatulence of sheep. If you farm cows for food and leather, why not other animals for dog food and fur pelts. What if they wore rabbit hats instead of muskrat? Would it make a difference because the rabbits are eaten?

[randyt]

You beat me to it LOL, I was getting ready to post the update. For what it's worth muskrats are tastier than rabbits in my opinion.

[WolfVanZandt]

Hmmm....I need to try one. Rabbits are pretty tasty.

[Tokwan]

Porcupines taste better between a rabbit and chicken

[Rick]

That's a great article. She sure pulls no punches on how she feels about "radical animal activists". Bravo for her.

[WolfVanZandt]

"Porcupines taste better between a rabbit and chicken "

And you have toothpicks!