Leave animals alone, Inuit hunters tell scientists

[hedgetrimmer]

Source: toronto star

Half the polar bear population of Davis Strait has been bothered over the last three years, Inuit hunters say

Dec 06, 2007 05:12 PM
The Canadian Press
Inuit hunters are demanding that scientists change how they study Arctic wildlife, saying current methods involve the handling of too many animals — injuring and even killing some and leaving others with chemical residue that taints their meat.


Scientists take blood from a polar bear. Inuit hunters are demanding that scientists change how they study Arctic wildlife, saying current methods hurt too many animals.

“This work is very intrusive,” said Glenn Williams, a former wildlife officer and consultant to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. “It doesn’t appear that the methods of research are keeping up with new trends and new technologies.”

NTI, the group that oversees the Nunavut land claim, passed a unanimous resolution last week calling on the federal and territorial governments to stop all such research. They want meetings held to discuss alternative study methods.




Read more: http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/283227

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What's for dinner?

[anitar1]

1. Man loves to destroy , in the name of what ?? n/t

[IndyOp]

2. Okay - this is what Native Americans mean when they say "white minds"

and role their eyes with frustration and pity. :eyes:

White minds never seem to know when to say when.

[Tyler Durden]

5. Riiiight.

Like "White Minds" are the ones shooting mother bears WITH CUBS in Northern Ontario, even though the Native Americans have been show scientific data and asked NOT to do so.

I LOVE being told what an asshole I am for being what I am by people ACTIVELY being assholes on purpose.

[jberryhill]

18. Yeah.... pass the whale meat /nt

[LiberalFighter]

20. role?

[Algorem]

3. So,'quit bothering the animals we're killing and eating',is that the

gist of it?

[Tyler Durden]

4. Basically? Yes.

On APL last night: "Growing Up Polar Bear" featured the one surviving cub; sibling and mother killed by Native "Hunters" in Northern Ontario. By "treaty" they can shoot whatever they damned well please, but they've been "asked" to leave mothers and cubs alone...they just don't feel like going along with "white minds" so the rescue of surviving cubs continues.

[Odin2005]

6. This is a perfect example of political correctness gone mad.

I bet if the government tried to keep the hunters from doing that there will be knee-jerk howls from the PC nuts.

[BearSquirrel2]

7. Left vs. Left ...

This is a great example of where liberal and progressive minded people need to weigh their options and choose the lesser of two evils. Native rights vs. the continued existence of a species.

The gist of this argument is not new. There are poachers and conservationist hunters. Conservationist hunters try to keep wildlife numbers up so they can experience the joy of culling some of them. Then there are poachers who would shoot pregnant female animals and not think twice about it. Choose the lesser of the two evils because you cannot stop both.

[Tyler Durden]

8. Continued existence of a species is an EVIL???

NOT.

ANY native american who through poaching OR exercising their "Treaty Rights" aids in the destruction of a species commits a MORAL WRONG.

Aren't Native American religious beliefs (the sort of thing that supports the logic of taking animals) supposed to put them above this sort of evil?

I guess when you get right down to it, all humans of whatever race: SLIME.

[XemaSab]

9. You're looking at it backwards, I think.

Sending a species to extinction is an evil, but encroaching on the rights of native people is also an evil.

In this situation, encroaching on the rights of the natives is the lesser of two evils. :shrug:

[Tyler Durden]

10. I don't see gradiations of evil here.

Preserving a species that it is not necessary to kill in order for the Native Americans to survive has no evil or down side.

The bears are being killed and left on the tundra. There is NOTHING good about that. And if their precious treaty rights to hunt down an endangered species are infringed, I see nothing EVIL in that.

That's my point.

Sorry, I just get a little hot and bothered about this. It's 2007: Whale and bear meat are NOT essential to ANYONE'S survival, and I doubt strongly that this is anything less than some lawyer's legal battle in the making.

[XemaSab]

11. Oh, you don't have to argue with ME about that

I personally could care less about the "rights" of Natives to kill endangered species, but I've seen people arguing the other side before. :shrug:

[Tyler Durden]

15. Not me.

Sorry to misinterpret.

[XemaSab]

17. No worries.

:hi:

(And hey, I'm not going to pick a fight with Tyler Durden. :o )

[Tyler Durden]

22. you so cwazy.

<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/12/06/i-tells-you-sekrit-k/"><img src="" alt="funny pictures" /></a><br />moar <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com">funny pictures</a>

[jberryhill]

19. The problem is applying the concept of "poaching" to hunters who can't be regulated anyway

I can't figure out why we think unregulated Inuit hunting is any different from some drunk redneck over his bag limit.

It's a peculiar form of racism that suggests unregulated hunting is "okay" depending on who your parents were.

[Tyler Durden]

21. You contest THE HOLY TREATY????

I get so tired of the TREATYRIGHTSTREATYRIGHTSTREATYRIGHTSTREATYRIGHTSTREATYRIGHTS mantra.

If they want everything FROZEN as it was back in the 1880's, then so be it.

Hand in your .300 Weatherby rifle and here's your spear. Good luck with that BEAR.

[Algorem]

36. i shouldn't have said they were eating them,necessarily.

they could be selling parts of them to chinese quack 'medicine' pushers and all kinds of other things like that i suppose.

[phantom power]

12. The polar bears and the Inuit will both be history in 50 years.

At least in the sense that none of either will exist in their native environment. Because that native environment will be gone.

[fishnfla]

14. Query: how can you save what you dont understand?

Could be said of the the scientists, and the Inuit. Both of their motives

[fishnfla]

13. This is one of those isssues that cannot be broached in absolute terms

Native humans has been part of the natural world for centuries, unless we can understand their culture we cannot save it.

Time, and tide have changed. It was not too long ago that artic exploreres took "their eskimoes" to NYC to be put on display, they were tribal elders who promptly died out of their element. The 'scienists' kept their corpses for experiments and display in museums, IIRC. It took decades before the natives could get the bodies back for proper burial.

Now the oilmen want to take more of their hunting grounds...scientists always lead the way there. I could hardly blame the Inuit for their mistrust

[Tyler Durden]

16. I'll trust the Inuit a lot more when they stop shooting bears with cubs.

You don't have to be white, rich, or American to be a poacher.

[fishnfla]

24. Why are you so hostile?

I'd be willing to bet the Inuit tribes would have trouble understanding your vehemence and animosity, in fact I'd bet they view it as threatening. Especially given the fact that since you live in Michigan you have no connection with the artic or polar bears, and more importantly, theie cultue has done nothing and is no threat at all to your way of life.

[Critters2]

27. Their culture is a threat to an endangered species.

All decent people should be concerned about that. There's this mentality that treats "Native" cultures as above reproach out of "respect", but is really more condescending than respectful. The Inuit are people with brains and feelings. They shouldn't have trouble understanding the risk in hunting a species to extinction.

[fishnfla]

32. I've heard this all before ya' know

I stood at the landings protecting the tribes while they asserted their spearing rights in Northern Wisc. The rednecks said they would spear the walleyes out of all the lakes. It never happened, because it wasn't really about the fish, it was about their tribal heritage and rights. The fish are still there.

"Brains and feelings", talk about condescending! These people go to college now and get legal degrees. They fight for their heritage in the modern way in order to protect it. Their communities are organizing against decades of suppression. Thats whats going on here.

There is an old saying that is applied to indigenous culture everywhere...in this case it goes like this: My father rode a dogsled. I ride a snowmobile. My son rides a plane. His son will ride a dogsled

[Odin2005]

23. Calling aboriginals "part of the natural world" is racist and romantic BS.

"Noble Savage" = BS myth.

[fishnfla]

25. Thats right. They are merely asserting their legal rights

Beating the white man at his own game.
I think its cool

[Pastiche423]

26. You think that not saving a species from extinction is cool?

[fishnfla]

30. You want to blame the extinction on indiginous tribes?

Thats how it went with the American Bison, right?

I happen to think that Exxon is more responsible for what happens to the polar bears than anyone. The Inuit are wising up as to how to manage more white animals than just bears :)

[Pastiche423]

31. If they are the ones killing the bears into extinction

YES.

[fishnfla]

33. Then get up there and stop 'em!

good luck

[Pastiche423]

34. Are you a Climate Change denier too?

[liquiduniverse]

35. Native Americans were responsible for the extinction of many species

Maybe not the bison, but the same can't be said for the mammoth, mastodon and North American camels to name a few. All were hunted to extinction before the "white man" ever set foot in the hemisphere.

[Critters2]

29. If they hunt a species to extinction, how does that hurt

"the White Man". They're only hurting themselves as an expression of anger with others. When individuals do this, we call it "borderline personality disorder" and try to get them treatment. Why is it not a problem in a group?

[Critters2]

28. Exactly!!! nt