Published: April 16, 2008 11:26 am      

The congressman responds

Editor:

In a recent edition of the McAlester News-Capital, Marjorie Hass submitted a letter regarding my vote ranking by a national animal rights activist group in their newsletter.

From the hundreds of letters I receive on animal and sportsmen issues, I believe that the votes I’ve made are in line with my district. As an avid hunter, gun owner, and land owner, I believe the positions taken by this activist group represent the views of advocates sitting in Washington, D.C., and not the expressed opinions of the overwhelming majority of eastern Oklahomans.

First, in considering a ban on the humane disposal of the tens of thousands of abandoned or neglected horses that arise annually, it is important to consider the lack of space and funding available to care for these horses. By banning their disposal, we only serve to create further opportunities for their mistreatment, and in many cases allow them to starve to death.

Most importantly, the livestock industry is vital to eastern Oklahoma, and of the 435 U.S. Congressional districts nationwide the Second District ranks ninth in beef production. Adopting laws banning horse slaughter sets a dangerous precedent for the slaughter of other livestock.

I greatly support the principles of wildlife conservation. The amendment highlighted by this activist group would have banned the importation of trophies taken legally from healthy polar bear populations in Canada.

However, it would do nothing to reduce the actual number of polar bears harvested in Canada. Removing incentives for U.S. hunters to hunt polar bears in Canada would only lessen the resources available for conservation and management of the bears.

U.S. hunters directly support polar bear conservation and research through the permit fees they pay. The tens of thousands of dollars that hunters pay for each hunt benefit the local native communities, encouraging them to conserve and manage wildlife populations responsibly.

The U.S. government only allows imports of polar bears from well-managed and sustainable populations, and Canada sets sustainable harvest quotas annually. Canada has continually determined that properly regulated harvesting is not a threat to polar bear populations. This management practice has contributed to the rebound of population numbers from 6,000 in the 1960s to more than 20,000 today.

As a deer, turkey, and quail hunter myself, I will always stand up and fight these radical anti-hunting activists. If any of these activists would like to visit my office in Washington, D.C., I would welcome the opportunity to provide them with a better understanding of how eastern Oklahomans feel about these sportsmen’s issues.

Rep. Dan Boren

D-Muskogee