The House of Representatives passed an amendment that blocked the previously passed vote in 2015 that was issued from the National Park Service that had protected grizzly bears, wolves, black bears, caribou, and coyotes in Alaska. Now that congress has passed this new law, hunters are allowed to go into Alaska and kill entire packs of wolves, chase and kill black bears with trailing hounds, or kill grizzly bear families(cubs included) with bait. The Humane society, National Park Service, and other organizations are also upset because they believe they are ruining the animal’s habitats by destroying the population, as well as wrecking the economy of the National Parks. Many people have previously visited Alaska to see these animals in their natural habitat, but that could all change soon. On the other hand, Alaska is the least populated state in America, and having more hunters enter their state may boost population levels, decrease the poverty rate, and increase job opportunities. Besides that, the state relies heavily on the oil industry alone, and increasing sport hunting will help Alaska earn more money.
What is your opinion on this matter? Is it okay for hunters to come and kill these species? Why or why not?
What is more important: the lives of the animals, or the lives of the people living in Alaska and their economy? Explain.
Why do you think Congress would amend this law? What is the reasoning behind it?
Replies
1. I think it is okay for the hunters to kill the species in moderation. If they kill to many it may have minor effects on the environment, but if there are too many it would overthrow the balance of the environment.
2.I think they are both important because balance in the animal environment makes for a balance in the human environment.
3.Congress probably amended this law because there are too many of these species and they need to lower the growth rate of the species so the environment isn't permanently affected.
I like how you said that balance in the animal ecosystems means there is balance in our human environment. Also, I liked how you thought outside of the box by saying congress needed to control the animal population in Alaska. But, some of these animals are endangered as well, so does that make it okay for hunters to kill them? Or what about baby grizzly cubs, is it alright to shoot them?
1. I think it is kind of silly that they are allowing a ton of hunters to kill most of the population of animals in Alaska. I don't think it is okay for hunters to come and hunt the animals in Alaska because many people are going to take advantage of that right and it could entirely wipe out many animal populations. 2. I think they are both equally important. There are enough certain species of certain animals so we are allowed to kill them and use them for certain needs in Alaska, but killing all of them would cut down on the resources some people use in Alaska. 3. I think they amended this law so they could have more people live in Alaska, so there will be more job opportunities and it will help the economy in Alaska.
I think it is okay for them to do this with a specific reasoning behind it like food or clothing. I don't think they should be able to wipe out the entire population of these animals, though. I think they should be restricted to how many can be hunted. The lives of people and their economy in Alaska and the animals that make up the state are equally important. They both provide their own benefits to the state. I think Congress amended this law because it would help out the state of Alaska. I think that Congress was thinking that it would help boost money and population rates in the state which would help them out.
I totally agree with your viewpoints! I think it is okay to hunt animals for food or clothing, but not for the sport of it. How do you think they can compromise to make both the lives of animals and the people of Alaska feel valued? Do you think they should amend the amendment?
I feel that having hunter go out and kill these animal is a good idea because it will bring down the population of that species and bring up the population of people in the state. As to the second question I believe that if you asked anybody if it came down to there life or the life of a black bear or wolves that would kill the bear or wolves. I would agree with that person 100%. I think that congress should not amend the law because if you open this up to all year too many people will kill to many animals
You had some interesting points, and I agree that if they open this up to hunters year round they will wipe out the animal population dramatically. So, if you believe that it is alright to go and decrease the animal population to some extent, are you okay with using fake lights to lure Mama bears and her cubs out of hibernation, or wipe out entire wolf packs? What is the limit do you think?
I think it is OK to hunt them but to a point i think its wrong to kill an entire pack of wolves or to hunt them with packs of dogs. The people are more important but that doesn't mean it inst wrong. I think they want to do this to boost money and they think that it could help the state.
Personally, I'm opposed to killing things for sport, but if the animals are being put to good use, like food, I think it's an okay idea. I think there should be some kind of regulation that limits the amount of animals you kill, like you only get so many tags in a season. We don't want to kill off the entire population of wild life and put animals in danger. I think we need to find a balance between creating more jobs and saving animals. I think Congress is seeing our declining economy and want to help push the economy in the right direction.
Well put, Macy! I definitely agree with you that hunters should be limited on the number of tags per season, and maybe even per day. That way we don't destroy an entire animal population and regret killing animals to extinction later. Do you have any ideas on creating this balance, or any thought as to how Congress can push Alaska's economy in the right direction? If you have some great ideas, I think you should go be a politician ;)
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