Comments on: Alaskan Bears: To Be Seen, Or Shot?

Protected For 50 Years, Life Is To Change For McNeil River's Brown Bears

[sparty6138]

Sign the petition! Here's some language you can use/adapt in e-mail messages to your friends.

Dear Friends,

On Monday and Tuesday nights the CBS Evening News ran a two-part story on the brown bears who live in the McNeil River (Alaska) State Game Sanctuary. A limited number of visitors to the sanctuary have been permitted to watch the bears up close each summer as they catch migrating salmon. This has resulted in the bears becoming completely unafraid of humans. The State of Alaska has announced that buffer zones adjacent to the sanctuary that protect the bears will be open to trophy hunters in 2007. Without a natural fear of humans, these bears will be easy targets.

You can read (or watch) the CBS report at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/14/eveningnews/main1894769.shtml.

I have just read and signed an online petition against the hunting of these wonderful animals sponsored by the Friends of McNeil River organization: "Oppose Hunting of Brown Bears Near the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Alaska," which is hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mcneil66/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.

Best wishes,
***

[nanie50]

Your so called VISION for your state and its Brown Bears in the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary is not a vision, but a slaughter of bears that have grown to trust man...How can you open hunting so close to the sanctuary and still expect the bears of that area to be friendly.... Your state is huge; let the Trophy Hunters hunt elsewhere... This reminds me of Jane Woodall and the Gorilla's..........Why can't legislators/government leave the very few area's left in the US where wild animals trust and interact with us alone.....???????????? Thank you CBS!!!!
Even though the Governor%u2019s office reads email from Alaskan residents first, if enough of us complain, we will get through%u2026%u2026..Please email Governor Frank Murkowski @

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/govmail.php

[wrj5241]

I found the clip about "Trophy Hunting" absolutely disgusting. It represents what is wrong with America and the direction we are heading. Why can't these animals live out there lives in a protected santuary? Hunting like this is not sportsmanship, it is killing life for no reason. There are so few places where animals are protected, save this one for future generations to see.

I'm sure that brown bears are hunted elsewhere in a Alaska, keep it that way.

John Wittmuss
Elementary Principal

[icare2]

Governor Murkowski,

How the hell can you let this happen to the brown bear? You must stop this immediately. Don't we have enough with wars going on? Do we need to kill these bears for the sake of bear rugs? For the faith, who struggle for passion, have mercy on us, and the whole world. I will pass on the internet to get everyone together to stop the killing of brown bears from happening. If we have to fly to Alaska we will do everything in our powers to stop this from happening. You must make every effort to protect these beautiful creatures from being murdered. There is enough murder in our lives, there is enough hatred in our lives, there is enough starvation in our lives, there are enough homeless in our lives. Don't take the beauty of the brown bear away as well. And in the state of the most beautiful scenery, Alaska. I hope you will respond to this message as soon as possible. If I don't hear, or see, or know that you have done anything in regards to this matter, I will personally fly out there with all the animal rights people who feel the same way as I do and do everything in our power to not let this travesty happen. We do not want any more endangered animals like the tigers, elephants, gorrillas, etc. to be killed for no good reason. If there are trophy hunters there with their guns, it will be another war. And Alaska won't be so beautiful anymore, and no tourists will come.

[spurvey]

How interesting that the Governor of Alaska should remove his email address from all of the contact information on his website.. Guess we will all have to start calling him to express our disgust and outrage.

[rrieser]

It is outrageous

[rrieser]

This is outrageous it just shows that man can not govern himself nor does this society know right from wrong. Next they will open up the wild annimal parks and zoos to hunters. Well it is not to be unexpected when we kill one another in war and on the streets.

[lonewolfafgh]

I don't think ANY wild animals should be killed for trophies. Members of the deer family are fine if you're going to eat them, but limited numbers should be taken.

[moddid]

I have hiked and camped in the area ajacent to the McNeill area for 14 years. I have photographed these beautiful animals in their natural setting. I have also documented several generations of bears, including behavior. I can pick out the adult bears I have seen since cubs just by the way they fish.
McNeill River is open only by lottery and the visit have a unique experienceIt gives people to see bears in a natural environment without fear of being shot.
To open this area to hunting would destroy what McNeill has provided for generations of bears, a safe haven from the "harvesting" that takes place in other areas of Alaska.

[centomere]

This is a new low. What is wrong with the people in Alaska? Even though clearly things are changing, and hunting is declining, even though wildlife watching and other nonconsumptive wildlife enjoyment brings in so much more money to Alaska than hunting does now, why are the people there so bent on catering so much more to the selfish interests of hunters?

More decent-minded people should rise up and crush those scumbag lobbyist groups that are keeping this barbaric institution alive and in power. Hunters are such a small population now and can so easily be destroyed if we just took more action against them.

Like the guy in the video said, this is like shooting your neighbor's dog. These bears have become so accustomed and tolerant of humans they will not know to fear or avoid them. And why should they have to live with the stress of constantly having to avoiding gunfire in the first place? This is such an important place for them, the one place so many of them depend upon to eat their required fill to bulk up for winter, it would just be shameful to have people taking pot shots at them while they're just trying to go and get something to eat and feed their family.