Post Magazine says Nothing Promotes Family Values Like Killing Animals

[RebelOne]

This is totally unacceptable. Please send your comments to the Post ataddress below and also to the author. I received this message through one of my animal rights Yahoo groups.


Subject: Feb 6 Post Magazine says Nothing Promotes Family Values Like Killing Animals

The February 6 Sunday Washington Post Magazine ran a feature
article, "They shoot zebras, don't they?" which promotes canned hunts
as a fine occupation that builds family values and saves family farms.

They Shoot Zebras, Don't They?
These days, you don't have to go to the African veldt to hunt
gazelle, kudu and zebra. Set your sights on Texas
By Joshua Kurlantzick
Sunday, February 6, 2005; Page W21

Please send your comments to the Post at:
[e-mail] (washpost.com)

To reach the author, Joshua Kurlantzick, Foreign Editor of the New
Republic magazine, send an email to: [e-mail] (tnr.com)
(Be sure to put "ATTN: Joshua Kurlantzick" in the subject line of
your email.)

Excerpts from this article include:

"Nothing brings a family together better than being outdoors and
taking animals."

and, sounding like a slave auction, the article continues...
"Deep in the Hill Country, at a village named Harper, half an hour
from the Rio Bonito ranch, hundreds of locals in jeans and camouflage
passed through the gate and into Raz Livestock's monthly auction, one
of many exotics sales in Texas. Before the auction started, potential
bidders inspected the animals. Squeezing along a narrow catwalk slung
above the animals, inside a massive shed, ranchers stared down into
the pens of menageries from around the world -- wildebeests and water
buffaloes slowly turning in circles, emus flapping their wings, packs
of zebras butting their heads into pen walls, wild Siberian boars
rooting around on the ground. Potential bidders had to register at an
office outside; near the registry, local taxidermists advertised
their services.

Staring down into a zebra pen, I bumped into Charly Seale, executive
director of the Exotic Wildlife Association, and his wife, Carolyn, a
former model who now runs hair salons. "The exotic meats are so much
better for you -- they're lower in cholesterol than store-bought
meat," she said. "If more people ate exotic meats, cancer rates would
definitely go down."

After selling traditional Texas cattle, the auctioneer began
screaming out bids on the exotics. One by one, animal handlers
brought the animals into a semi-circular enclosure covered in metal
bars, surrounded by a tin-roofed amphitheater adorned with desiccated
animal skulls, where more than 150 bidders were packed in on folding
chairs and bleachers. Occasionally, one of the sellers would poke a
cane through the wire at an overly placid animal of his, trying to
spark it to life so it would get higher bids.

Sitting in a booth directly above the enclosure, the auctioneer
hollered as handlers dragged out a young kudu with thin horns. The
price climbed quickly. Finally, the kudu bull went for nearly $2,000.
The animal handlers grabbed the kudu by the horns, pushed it back
toward the pens and brought out the next kudu. "It's a long
afternoon," said one man in the crowd. "Let's go get a burger."

For the full article, go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55083-2005Feb1.html

[flvegan]

1. You should make some popcorn, then post this in GD.

Actually, the flames will probably pop the corn for you.

I will admit though, even the most die-hard huntsmen hate this canned hunting crap.

[Lorien]

2. Canned hunts MUST be banned!

go to www.bigcatrescue.org to find out how you can help!

[Lorien]

3. Just wondering

threads on factory farming usually get a huge response around here, but threads concerning wildlife generally get far less of a response. Why is that?

[livinginphotographs]

4. Sorry, this did deserve at least a kick from me.

The donation isn't going to happen in my current financial situation, but I hope someone does consider it. I looked at the site, and it seems like a great organization.