3 YB ( The Dallas Post Anderson Afield Animal rights extremists sometimes cause harm By JOHN M. ANDERSON Near the school of veterinary medicine of a midwestern univer- sity, horses wander the streets, jeopardizing themselves and mo- torists. In a fresh water marsh of the Jean Lafitte National Histori- cal Preserve on the outskirts of New Orleans, thousands of nutria face starvation as they consume the last shred of vegetation. These unfortunate animals are victims of well-intentioned (?), misguided, ignorant and dangerous humans. There are over 300 groups of such people. They claim they are con- cerned with the “rights” of animals other than human. On the apparent belief that it's cruel to use horses to teach stu- dents of veterinary medicine how to care for sick or injured animals, they smash the locks and turn - horses loose. With wild enthusi- asm, they shout, “We've set these animals free!” On the mistaken notion that “nature” governs all wild animals, they sue the Na- tional Park Service to prevent the NPS from trapping and removing the excess hordes of starving nu- tria. They think trapping cruel, but starvation is not. Admittedly, before the white man's axe and plow altered their habitat, the bison, pigeons and all other native animals got along fine. The herbivores fed on vegetation; the carnivores fed on the herbi- vores. The little fish fed on algae and plankton; the big fish fed on the little fish. Ospreys, eagles, dQ otters and Indians fed on the big fish. But we can safely assume there were occasional droughts, floods, lightning fires and hurricanes that destroyed the habitat and caused the death of many plants and ani- mals in some localities. There's an old saying that nature heals her wounds. I submit, however, that this is only true of wounds result- ing from natural causes such as = wind and weather, earthquakes, ®vyolcanoes, and the all-powerful streams that carve valleys and transport sediment from place to i '¢ place. ) Nature cannot recover from ~ man-made disasters such as acid rain, insecticides and other poi- sons that pollute the air and water, including the oceans. When man imported nutria from South Amer- ica and turned them loose in Lousiana, the big rodents began to destroy the marshes. When man dug canals and made other changes in the brackish Louisiana marshes the muskrats moved in from the north and east. In other words, the Louisiana marshes did not evolve with muskrats and nutria. Musk- rats and nutria do not “belong” in those marshes; they are there because of man-made changes. They are not well adapted to that environment. Consequently, their populations exhibit violent fluc- tuations. They build up to crisis levels, destroy their own food supply, and starve. The marsh owners, be they fed- eral, state or private, try to keep. these herbivores in balance with their food supply through trap- ping. But the self-appointed sav- iors of animals are determined to prevent any and all attempts to control populations of any wild animal by any means. They also try to prevent scien- tists from suing white rats or any laboratory animal for research in medicine, nutrition, or genetics. As anation, we are finally aware that we are losing about 40 square miles of Louisiana marsh per year due to salt water intrusion. But we are alsolosing several square miles due to “eat-outs” caused by musk- rats and nutria. In contrast to the out-of-place muskrats and nutria, the bison and the grasslands that fed them evolved together. The bison did not stay in one place long enough to destroy the vegetation. In order to conquer the red man, the white man did away with the bison which the Indian used for food, shelter, and clothing. In substituting cows for buffalo, the white man fenced in his cattle and put more of them on the range than the grass could support. Consequently, much of the West is so badly overgrazed it will take years of proper manage- ment for it to recover. If the animal rightists and other humaniacs would turn their at- tention to south land and wildlife management, instead of turning horses loose and suing the Na- tional Park Service, all animals, including humans, would be bet- ter off. As a young veterinarian friend said to me, “I'm in this pro- fession because I love animals and want to keep them healthy. But because of the antics of the ani- mal-rights activists, in the long run, thousands of animals are going to suffer needlessly. I some- times wonder if their concern for animals is genuine. I suspect what they really want is control over the lives of people.” John M. "Frosty" Anderson was Director of the Wildlife Department of the National Audubon Society from 1966 until his retirement in 1987. By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Richard Disque of Dallas ex- hibited his handcarved ducks in the 1989 Pennsylvania Wildlife Arts Festival in York and came home with three ribbons, won by his entries in the Waterfowl division of the show. More than 30 carvings were entered in that division of the festival in which hundreds of entries were exhib- RE 0 a SR AB Ss | PRIZE WINNERS - Richard Disque's carved wooden ducks won three prizes including Best of Show at a show held recently in York. Disque has been carving for two years. (Photo by C.M. Denmon) Disque's ducks are prize winners ited in the various divisions. Disque won first prize and Best of Show for a Black Mallard Duck, and third prize for a Pin Tail Duck. He has won four rib- bons in the two shows he has entered since be began carving less than two years ago. Winning the Best of Show moves Disque up from the Nov- ice Class to Amateur Class. He entered a Carolina Wood Duck in the Festival but it did Election day meals at Grange The evening meal will be served starting at 4 p.m. It will be Chicken and Biscuits, mashed potatoes, hubbard squash, homemade ap- plesauce, peas, cole slaw, and apple or pumpkin pie. Donation for the dinner is $5.00. Election Day, November 7, Mountain Grange No. 567 at the junction of West Eighth Street and Bodle Road will be serving food all day including soup, wimpies, hot dogs, and meatball hoagies. Jackson Township woman files suit against Allen's Subs Corp. An alleged breach of contract has led a Jackson Township woman to file a $20,000 lawsuit against Allen's Subs. Lucille Parker, 1730 Sutton Road, Shavertown, filed the law- suit against Allen's Subs Interna- tional Corporation, 275 Mundy Street, Wilkes-Barre, at the Luzerne County Courthouse. Parker claims she entered into a sub-franchise agreement with the defendant for $20,000 onJuly 6, 1988. Parker stated in her suit the defendant has breached the agreement. Parker is asking the courts to grant her a $20,000 judgement plus interest and costs. 1. Nursery students open Children’s Museum Children of the Wyoming Semi- nary Nursery classes recently opened their very own Children’s Museum with a reception for parents at the school in Forty Pp Fort. Located in the Mural Room of the School, the museum will feature students’ projects which they would like to share with the rest of the school. Students will act as guides, explaining the exhibits which will change about every week. Memorial Highway Seen with the opening exhibit on “The Ocean” are Angelo Medico, Dr. Juan Gaia and son Ben- jamin, Shavertown; Leah Budin, Trucksville; Steven Brown, Shavertown, Kasey Rodriguez. 7 [1 ) my Country Traditions Something \- MD ort te—t ST dW Your Home Interior Extra For 201 Memorial Highway,Dallas, Pa. - 675-6944 Watch for Our Grand Opening Nov. 4 Budget 1 HOUR DRYCLEANING and SHIRT SERVICE Dallas Country Club Shopping Center - next to Insalaco’s Come and See ELROY THE ROBOT at noon Nov. 4 ‘BACK TO SCHOOL & FALL SPECIALS ~~~ Sweaters Winter Coats Skiwear Wool Shirts ES ENLCIER A So] 111 {J CIES 15% OFF (REG. LOW PRICES) 2 PC. 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Temperatures rose well above the mid-60’s average and landed at a comfortable 75 degrees. Boat- ers flock the lake during the week- end to take one last ride before putting the boats away for the winter months. “I thought a few weeks ago ended my boating for this year,” said Mechanicsburg resident Thomas Bilko as he put his boat into the lake waters Sunday. “This sudden temperature change was a wel- come feeling.” Bilko, and many like him, had packed their boats away for the cold winter months to come. The sudden blast of warmair took many by surprise, and they were not about to allow the warm weather get away without one last ride. “I just could not pass up this: wonderful weather,” said boater Patrick Metral. “This Indian Sum- mer offered one last chance to enjoy the summer before the snow sets in. I did not expect to be out here since last month.” Metral and Bilko both agreed the weather change was quite a surprise. Bilko explained that the wet summer the area experienced gave him the impression the win- ter would be fast coming and hard hitting. “l expected snow this week. Today is as warm as most of the summer was,” Bilko said. Grand Opening Sweet Sensations November 4th * Country Club Shopping Center Open 10 A..M. til 9 P.M. Daily 675-6071 Register For A FREE Wedding Cake Anniversary Cake Birthday 2 Lb. Box of Victoria Chocolates * Formerly La Fiore’s ~ Cake Grand Opening Celebration November 4th | CN Back Mtn. Books Country Club Shopping Center Rt. 309, Dallas, PA 18612 675-3168 We're here to assist you... . Special Orders Filled . Free Gift Wrapping Available . The Area's Only Full Line Bookstore ; 7,
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