Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 16, 1993 TAG: 9305160011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I take exception to your column on the bear chase season. I'm not sure anyone can determine that animal rights groups pressured Governor Wilder into a veto of the bill extending chase hours into the night. They can take credit, and you can assess blame, but that is not why I am writing.
I'm no biologist, but it seems to me that chasing bears in the late summer and early fall, when they're trying to add weight for the winter ahead, is a disaster waiting to happen. I know studies are being conducted to see if there is a correlation between the nutritional condition of female bears, and their ability to reproduce. Bears mate in mid-to-late summer, but the fetal cubs don't begin developing until late fall. Some researchers think female bears may abort some or all of their fetuses if they haven't put on enough fat reserves. Bears on the run, and those constantly spooked by dogs, probably don't have eating as their top priority.
I also wonder about the "extensive research" you mention in the article. Friends of mine in the bear business think this "research" consisted of a highly informal survey of game officials in states with chase seasons. If you're going to bring the issue up again, I'd like to see some reporting on the extent of this research. Maybe the management decision to start a bear chase season wasn't prompted by "career wildlife biologists working with the best biological facts available." Maybe the conclusion formed the "facts," instead of the other way around.
I am not opposed to hunting. I am opposed to threatening our wildlife resources.
PAUL J. LANCASTER\ BLACKSBURG
by CNB