hunters

Should Radio-Collared Animals Be Legally Protected?

Candice Gaukel Andrews by Candice Gaukel Andrews | January 21st, 2013 | 14 Comments
topic: Eco Travel, Green Living | tags: animals, bear, bears, biologists, buffer zones, deer, Eco Travel, elk, environment, GPS, gray wolves, hunters, hunting, legal protection, Minnesota, Montana, nature, New York Times, park boundaries, predators, radio collaring, radio collars, radio telemetry, research data, scientists, Shoshone National Forest, travel, wild animals, wildlife, wolf, Wolf 754, wolves, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

Single wolf

Despite your stance on the ethics of radio-collaring wild animals, it can’t be denied that such endeavors provide scientists with reams of valuable data, such as information on where and how animals move and migrate, the nuisance activity they engage in, their reproduction and mortality rates, and how to establish wise management practices regarding them.

That’s why when a collared research animal is lost, it’s not just a detriment to that animal’s social group or species but to our understanding of nature, as well.

Usually, the death of a collared animal goes unnoticed, except within a few scientific circles. But when Wolf No. 754, a popular Yellowstone National Park research animal, was recently shot by a hunter in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest, a few miles outside the national park boundary, reverberations and outrage were felt around the world.

It’s causing some to ask: Should research animals be given full, legal protection?

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