[at-l] Legislature to Allow Bears to Decide Baiting Issue

[Snodrog5 at aol.com (Snodrog5@aol.com)]

>From today's Bangor Daily Ruse;
http://www.meepi.org/files04/april104.htm

Bears to Decide Baiting Issue

In an unprecedented move the Maine State Legislature has voted to allow 
Maine's population of black bears to decide the upcoming bear baiting referendum 
for themselves. Lawmakers have charged the Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife with coming up with special "voting booths" that would record the 
preferences of individual bears. 

"We are quite concerned about this development," said Bob Risk of Maine 
Animal Friends, "if you were given a choice between a rotten deer and a pile of 
doughnuts, what would you chose?" The group has filed an appeal with the 
Secretary of State demanding that the measure be placed on the November ballot. The 
group collected 103,251 signatures on a petition to allow human voters to decide 
whether or not to ban bear baiting, trapping, and hounding.

Maine's estimated 23,000 black bears awoke from hibernation this spring to 
find themselves in a swirling controversy among humans about what was the 
"fairest" way to kill them. Many doubt whether the bears have the capacity to make 
this kind of decision on their own. "I'm not sure how we can ensure that this 
will truly be a free and fair election," said Samuel Samiam, of the Maine IFW, 
"we're having trouble coming up with a ballot that leaves no doubt about the 
true intention of voter."Harry Skinner has been hunting bears for nearly thirty 
years. "Bears are very intelligent and crafty animals," he said from his 
Greenville hunting camp, "I'm just not sure that they should have the right to 
vote. This sounds like the typical hair-brain scheme they are always cookin' up 
down there in Augusta."   

Ophelia Payne, of the Humane Society of America, welcomes the decision 
because "animals have rights.... and this should include the right to vote." The 
group is expected to blanket the Bear Channel with ads urging a "yes" vote on the 
ban. The ads will feature popular actor Dan Haggerty of the Grizzly Adams TV 
show. Maine legislators had the option of passing the proposed ban or of 
sending it out to the people this November. Sending the measure directly to the 
bears was seen as a good compromise by many, including Rep. Hiram Bloughard, who 
noted "after all, who is more affected by this vote..... some soccer mom in 
Scarborough or the bears that are out there livin' this?" Legal opinions from 
the Secretary of State's office have oddly found nothing to prevent the bears 
from deciding the issue. Governor John Baldacci has expressed some reservations 
about the plan, but agreed to go along with it as long as the bears were not 
allowed to vote for governor.     

photos at:

http://www.meepi.org/files04/april104.htm