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Bear Referendum Proves Support |
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Written by MCFBH Staff
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Thursday, 31 March 2005 |
Thank you to all who helped in our campaign to ban bear baiting,
hounding and trapping. Our campaign was a very strong showing and
effort by our supporters around the state who did an incredible job.
Unfortunately our opponents had too much of a built in advantage,
particularly the active (illegal) intervention by a state agency - the
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and a 2 to 1 advantage in
campaigns funds, a significant amount from out of state trophy hunting
groups. That financial / TV ad advantage helped them perpetuate their
scare tactic and strategy of dangerous bears in back yards. The
combination ultimately was too much to overcome. Certainly the
Department of IF&W’s active involvement as a state agency to defeat
this referendum was a factor, and unfortunately it is this type of
abuse of power our state laws were designed to protect us from.
A victory certainly would have been better, but we can be proud of
knowing we significantly increased the awareness of animal cruelty,
unethical hunting practices and how wildlife is managed in this state;
none of which will be looked upon the same from here on out.
If our opponents think we are now just going away they are seriously
mistaken. The opposition knows cruelty can’t stand the spot light, and
Maine citizens will certainly give animal cruelty and unethical forms
of hunting far more of a look than they ever did before. Never before
has the public known so much about these practices, and never have
there been so many people who want them ended. As long as this needless
animal suffering is going on we will continue to bring it to the
attention of the public, the media and the legislature.
We are not going away.
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January 2008