Date
November 23, 2006
Contact
Kristie Phelps
(757) 423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Attempts to Quash Efforts to Investigate Legality of Refuge Bear Hunt
Refusal to Hand Over Records About Hunt is Intended to Hinder Protest
Norfolk, Va.—A week and a half prior to a December 1 black bear hunt in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Kristie Phelps - a local representative of In Defense of Animals (IDA) and VaBear.org, a coalition opposed to the black bear hunt - received notification of denial of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that was submitted on November 6. In its November 22nd letter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) claimed that it would not expedite release of the requested records and that IDA would have to pay over $450 to obtain the public documents.
The organizations are questioning the legality of the hunt based on the adequacy of the Environmental Assessment that was prepared before the hunt could proceed on the refuge. They are calling on the FWS to cancel the planned hunt. In its woefully inadequate analysis of the proposed hunt, the refuge fails to disclose that a 2005 study of black bears at the refuge concluded that “further study into demographic parameters (reproduction, survival, and population growth rate) must be completed before recommendations can be made regarding harvest of black bears…” The study goes on to explain that given “potential genetic concerns for this population” … “reducing bear numbers through hunting may exacerbate this issue.”
“Instead of engaging in the recommended study and applying the precautionary principle to its management of the black bear population, the refuge is forging ahead with the hunt to placate a special interest group, regardless of the impact to the refuge’s bear population,” said Phelps.
The FWS originally claimed that the main purpose of the hunt is to add a priority wildlife-dependent recreational opportunity for the public but now, facing controversy, argues that the hunt is needed to address public safety concerns.
IDA sought public records to determine the legality of the hunt. “Virginians have a legal right to know what is taking place in their own back yard so if the FWS had nothing to hide it would have no reason to fear the release of the requested records,” explained Phelps. “Clearly, the FWS wants to keep the public in the dark while the bears’ lives hang in the balance.”
“The only reason to allow the slaughter is to appease a small minority who take pride and pleasure in killing defenseless animals and it’s just not right,” Phelps added. “To allow bears to be killed on a “refuge” is particularly abhorrent.”
For more information, please visit www.vabear.org.