Expert: Stephen Vantassel - 5/30/2001

Question
Hi, I am a 7th grader doing a project on being a  veterinarian for a career, and I hoped you could answer a few questions for me. I know that you are not one...
1. What do you think of humane shelters? no-kill?
2. How do you think wildlife should be controlled, or not at all?
2. Ok, that is all I can think of, is there anything else you think might be interesting?
       Thanks alot!

Answer
Well this is a broad topic. But I will be brief.

First, I think no kill shelters are foolish. To spend vast quantities of money housing cats and dogs when there are humans who don't have shelter and food is to my mind evil.

Second, Wildlife will always be controlled. One of the dirty little secrets of vegetarians is how many animals farmers have to kill to protect their crops including the loss of habitat needed to grow the food in the first place. They foolishly think they are saving animals by eating vegetables when in fact they are eating produce that cost the lives of animals.

So you are asking the wrong question. The question you should ask is whether humans have the right to utilize wildlife as a natural resource. For example, should we see the value of wildlife the same way a forester values trees. My answer is yes. America has abundant renewable wildlife resources in fur, food and animal products. The beauty of harvesting wildlife is that it provides income to our nation without destroying habitat. As you may not know, habitat destruction is the number one killer of wildlife. When someone traps fur, there will another animal to replace it. But when someone builds another road or house. That land is gone forever.