The Cattle Association opposes the release-
Pronghorns released for new start on Yakama Indian Reservation. Ancient inhabitants are of the Columbia Basin. Rich Landers. The Spokesman-Review. [ed. note to Spokesman-Review, the plural of pronghorn is pronghorn]
Good for the Safari Club! It appears that when the cattle association took their traditional selfish approach to restoration of any kind of wildlife, the Club went around them and their grasp on the government, and got them released on the Indian Reservation.
Comments
Good for the Yakama Nation. Too bad this type of wildlife management doesn’t happen more often.
I don’t know that I am so thrilled, I would have like to see Washington state take the lead in this one, there are many areas that they could have been released.
Time will tell…
Jay Barr,
Well to be repetitive, the barrier is so often the livestock associations.
Oh, they love to complain about the the wolf reintroduction, but I think if a person looks through the news you will find similar opposition from livestock associations, though hardly publicized to the reintroduction of bighorn sheep, elk, pronghorn (as in this Washington state case), bears of all kinds, all medium sized predators, even small predators like swift foxes, rare rodents like the pygmy rabbit, many kinds of birds, tortoises, native fish, and on and on.
No doubt about it, Ralph. It’s still amazing that the greater public is mostly unaware that this minority (livestock industry), which often claims to be environmentally conscience because they deal with animals, so often opposes any/every thing that might potentially interrupt their profit stream.
It seems obvious to me that WA wasn’t going to do anytihing productive to make this re-intro happen, so instead of waiting on the state and wasting time and money (which is in seriously short supply for the WDFW) for more studies/analyses, the Yakamas acted decisively. Bravo!
Bravo, until such time as they venture off the reservation, where the antelope will have no protections at all, they will have as much respect and protection as a coyote does ..
“It’s still amazing that the greater public is mostly unaware that this minority (livestock industry), which often claims to be environmentally conscience because they deal with animals, so often opposes any/every thing that might potentially interrupt their profit stream.”.
It could also be that the typical American is overweigt, addicted to television, and only cares about the dollar menus at McD’s, Burger King, etc…They probably know that if ranchers didn’t oppose everything that could cost them money, then the dollar menu might increase to the dollar fifty menu….We can’t have that!
Ralph,
Its not always the Cattlemen, in oregon, mtn goats were reintroduced to the Warm Springs indian reservation to get around the enviromental studies, public hearings, and assocaited bullshit, with the full knowledge that they would roam to MT hood the the Santiam wilderness areas.
Do the antelope have any protections if they wander off the reservation?
Daniel based on current WA game laws, I would imagine no, they are not a classified animal in the state of WA, which could create a real problem. Normally a non-classified animal is subject to shoot on sight type actions…
This is the reason, I would have preferred to see the state take the lead in the re-introduction of Pronghorn and not a country within a state.
Now, I may be wrong, but I have not been able to find any cooperative agreements that state Pronghorn would be protected outside of the reservation. The legislature needs to act quickly to ensure survival of them if they are to wander onto state lands.
If anyone is aware of legislative or state game dept rules, please post a link because I have not been able to find anything.
Save Bears
It took me 2 or 3 clicks on the Internet to fine the definition of big game in the state of Washington. Antelope are big game animal.
RCW 77.08.030
Elk,
Thank you, I have made several calls today and searched the Washington Fish and Game Website, so I guess I will have to search in a different area…obviously your skills at searching are far better than mine..
But I will add, I am still interested in how they will be managed if they cross the borders of the reservation, but with the information you have provided, that will give me a bit more information to ask the questions that need to be asked..we are dealing with a country and then a state..so I will post what ever I find after talking to the WA game dept.
Save Bears
In both Montana and Washington caribou are game animals, if one shot a caribou in either state, one would be in big touble. If one shot an antelope in Washington it should be the same as shooting a caribou, I think.
Elk,
I did my field studies with the dept of game in WA, and am still up for a job with that agency, I am not so sure….
I will add, I didn’t look at the RCW code when I was looking today, I looked at the game dept, so that was my fault..and again, thank you for pointing me in the right direction..