Sounds like a bunch of bastard redneck hateful fuckers.


BELLE GLADE - "Gator meat tastes like chicken," and "Going to get a few of them right now" are some of the jeers tossed at a handful of alligator-hunt protesters holding signs that read: "If you respect them, protect them" and "Ban gator hunt."

Saturday was opening day of the annual Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's alligator harvest. More than 100 hunters gathered at the Belle Glade Marina with their airboats listening to live country music and enjoying food and friends before the sunset. That's when the hunt is on.

All the hunters passed by the seven Animal Rights Foundation of Florida protesters who stood with signs at the road to the marina, about a quarter mile away.

The protest might not change anyone's mind, demonstrators said, but at least it let them know not everyone supports the hunt.

"It's bloody, it's brutal and it's barbaric and it's not necessary," said Don Anthony, animal rights foundation's spokesman. "It's about placating a handful of people who are hunters."

Protesters called the hunt, which runs through Nov. 1, a fundraiser for the FWC by selling hunting permits. The FWC said the hunt is a way to help control a robust population of gators who have no predator.

State officials estimate there are more than 1 million gators in Florida and the annual hunt kills about 7,000.

Protesters are skeptical and say there are more than that killed.

Thousands of permits have been issued in the state, 1,459 for Lake Okeechobee alone, one of the more popular destinations to hunt. The permits cost $272 each and allow two gators per season. Hunting takes place from one hour after sunset to one hour after sunrise.

The animal rights demonstrators' major concern is what they call the inhumane killing of the prehistoric creatures.

"Without having the spinal cord severed and the brain destroyed, alligators can become paralyzed, but remain conscious and alive for hours," Anthony said.

FWC officials say all hunters are trained to sever the spinal cord.

After what can be a 400-pound, 10-foot, alligator is harpooned and brought to the boat, hunters use a firearm called a bangstick to shoot it in the head, said Tony Young, FWC's hunting expert. Then the snout is taped, the gator pulled into the boat and the neck sliced until the spinal cord is severed.

"Believe it or not, hunters are concerned with humanely killing their game," Young said. "There is a healthy alligator population in Florida and one that can sustain a hunt."

In the hunters' camp, long bearded men in camouflage sat around with women and children beside a fleet of airboats and alligator merchandise.

One of the boats had a confederate flag on its tail with the words "Killing Time" around it.

Brad Jachna, 54, came down from the Gainesville area to the marina to hunt in the waters he knows are well stocked with gators.

At night the hunters wear a light around their head, similar to what a miner wears, and it illuminates the alligator's eyes in red. Some nights the lake is so full of red it looks like taillights on the interstate, Jachna said.

He respects the alligators and it's important for him kill them right.

"I eat alligator like some people eat pork chops or steak," he said.

But besides the meal, he enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with battling something nearly twice his size.

"You never know what's going to come up out of the water," he said. "You don't know if you're going to get that gator or it's going to get you. . .you're literally fighting a dinosaur."

Jachna and other hunters understand the protesters' right to voice their opinions but say it won't keep them from doing something they love.

But Animal Rights Foundation of Florida members, many of whom do not eat meat, think the hunters need a new hobby.

"It's for their own pleasure," said animal rights project coordinator Amanda Burk. "It's not that they need to feed their families, they're doing it out of recreation."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beac...0,2053683.story

ARFF attends alligator-hunting class; we’re not doing the homework
August 5th, 2009 by admin

Last Saturday, an ARFF representative attended a training and orientation class for alligator hunters in Dania Beach. The class was offered by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and led by program coordinator Steve Stiegler.

Spending a couple hours surrounded by men and women who enjoy killing animals is not our favorite way to spend a weekend afternoon, but as ARFF prepares for a protest on opening day of the 2009 “alligator harvest,” it is important for us to learn as much as possible about the recreational killing of alligators in Florida.

During the class, attendees learned about weapons used to capture and kill alligators. A firearm called a bangstick is commonly used by hunters to kill alligators after the unfortunate animal has been harpooned or hooked and dragged close to the boat. Mr. Stiegler advised that the bangstick should be used only after the alligator is “thoroughly exhausted” from attempting to escape. He also recommended discharging the bangstick underwater because of the danger of flying fragments of bone from the alligator’s skull.

If hunter’s cannot get close enough to an alligator to use a harpoon, the use of a three-pronged “snatch” hook attached to a fishing rod, or a baited wooden peg, can be used. The short wooden peg is attached to a line, baited with beef lung or road kill and then thrown out into the water. Mr. Stiegler explained that once an alligator swallows the bait, the hunter retrieves the line and the peg gets caught in the alligator’s throat.

At this point in the class, a member of the audience asked about using live bait. The question was received with much laughter by the audience. Mr. Stiegler’s answer was disappointing. He stated that the FWC does not specifically prohibit the use of live chickens (his example), but that local laws may prohibit the practice. In our opinion, tying a live chicken to a wooden peg and throwing the animal into the water to attract alligators would cause unnecessary suffering and/or a cruel death, and therefore would be in violation of the State of Florida’s cruelty to animals statute (828.12).

ARFF has faxed a letter to Diane Eggeman, Director of FWC’s Division of Hunting and Game Management, urging the FWC to clearly discourage the use of chickens or other live animals as bait during this week’s alligator-hunting classes in Tallahassee, Tampa and DeLand.

You Can Help
Florida’s 11-week alligator hunt begins August 15. Please join ARFF in protest of the alligator hunt on opening day in Belle Glade. Visit ARFF’s website for details.

Update: In September 2006, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced that it would embark on a "comprehensive review" of alligator management in Florida, including the hunting of alligators, the collection of eggs and killing of alligators for commercial purposes, and "nuisance" alligator issues. The review began with an online survey, and continued with a series of public meetings, to get input from Florida residents.

Not surprisingly, Floridians have widely different views about the alligator. For example, according to the FWC, the results of the survey "indicated Floridians are fairly evenly divided over whether alligator harvest regulations are too restrictive or too lenient." Thank you to everyone who completed a survey, or spoke at a meeting in defense of Florida's alligators! Your involvement ensured that hunters and trappers were not the only people the Commission heard from.

In May 2007, the FWC released a number of draft proposals. The proposals include some good ideas, such as creating a public awareness/education campaign to teach Floridians how to co-exist with alligators and handle emergency situations. Unfortunately, the FWC also recommended a closer look at the idea of changing the alligator's current "species of special concern" status. ARFF will follow this process and will strongly oppose any proposal to weaken protections for alligators in Florida.

Alligators and humans have lived in peaceful co-existence for millions of years and attacks are a rarity— typically occurring when people have unnatural interaction with alligators (such as feeding), disturb their territory or pose a threat to their young. Habitat preservation, combined with respect and a basic understanding of alligator behavior are key to maintaining a healthy relationship with our wild neighbors.


Alligator Wrestling
Alligator wrestling is one of Florida's cruelest attractions. Shows are billed as "Man vs. Gator," a contest in which the odds are stacked against the alligator. One thing is certain: alligators are never willing participants in this spectacle.

The act begins when an alligator is dragged by the tail into the center of a ring. A wrestler jumps onto the alligator's back, putting pressure with both hands on the animal's neck, forcing his or her head down. Wrestlers may hit the animal on the nose until the animal opens their mouth (to show the alligator's teeth to the crowd). Other wrestlers force the mouth closed with one hand, and attempt to flip the animal. This can cut off circulation to the brain. Shows often end with the overturned alligator losing consciousness.

Alligator Farming
Alligators are raised for their skin and flesh on alligator "farms" throughout the southern United States. Farms raise alligators from eggs (often collected from wild alligator nests) to slaughter. Farmed alligators often live for years in dirty, crowded, highly unnatural conditions in concrete or metal tanks. Disease and fighting among farmed alligators is commonplace. Tens of thousands of these magnificent animals are killed on Florida farms each year.

Slaughter on alligator farms is often inhumane. Alligators are clubbed with hammers or shot with a bangstick, while some farms sever the spinal cord using axes or sharp wedges, leaving the animal alive but paralyzed while he or she is skinned. It is not uncommon for alligators to be skinned while still breathing, their eyes open and fully conscious.

Alligator Hunting
Alligators are hunted in darkness on lakes and waterways in Florida. Harpoons are the most popular weapon for hunting alligators, although a three-prong "snatch" hook used with a fishing rod, baited wooden pets, and bows are also common. After being harpooned or hooked, the unlucky alligator is fought to exhaustion, drawn close to the boat, and killed by lowering his or head beneath the water and firing a bangstick. Hunters describe how, upon firing this device the "blood colors the water a cloudy red."

Regulations state that alligators must be killed before being dragged into a boat, but the improper placement and discharge of the bangstick frequently renders the alligator only temporarily unconscious. Without having the spinal cord severed and the brain destroyed, the alligator is left to suffer long after being pulled from the water.


Alligators are part of what makes Florida unique and we must learn to respect them. Although they may seem intimidating, alligators are naturally fearful of humans and will typically only attack if they or their young are being threatened. They only lose their fear when they are fed and handled by humans.

Alligators play an important role in Florida's ecosystem. Alligators build ponds and nest in wetlands that create habitats for a wide variety of wildlife.
Alligators also have complex social behavior, including elaborate courtship displays. You can hear the bellowing of courting alligators in swamps in the spring. Recent studies on alligator social behavior show significant complexity in these animals' ability to communicate vocally and visually through a complex series of body postures. Female alligators are very protective of their nests, and baby alligators will stay with their mothers for as long as two years.

These unique animals have existed for millions of years and can live to be more than 30 years old in the wild. Yet these much-maligned creatures have much to fear when they encounter human beings, who have left them with dwindling habitats and food sources as we continue to develop open land. To make matters worse they are tortured and killed for our amusement and profit.



Living with Alligators
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggests following these safety tips:

–When working or relaxing near water, be aware of your surroundings. Alligators live in fresh or brackish water and are most active between dusk and dawn.

–Never allow children or companion animals to play unsupervised in or around waters that may contain large alligators.

–Observe and photograph alligators only from a distance.

How You Can Help Florida's Majestic Alligators
1. Educate friends and family members about alligators and how they are vital to Florida's ecosystem.
Download ARFF's brochure about Florida alligators (PDF file)

2. Please don't feed alligators. Like other wildlife, alligators may become accustomed to handouts and grow dependent on humans - a risky proposition for both feeders and animals. This dependency endangers the lives of alligators, since those who come too close to populated areas searching for food are usually considered a threat and killed. Feeding alligators is also against the law in Florida.

3. Never buy products made from alligators. The alligator farming industry is attempting to introduce alligator products into mainstream markets. Please speak out against the sale of alligator meat or skin.

4. Don't support tourist attractions that feature alligator wrestling. Ask friends and family members visiting Florida to do the same.

After decades as a roadside attraction in Florida, alligator wrestling is becoming less common. Please write to the following attractions where alligator wrestling can still be witnessed and urge them to discontinue the cruel spectacle. Tell them that there is nothing educational about the harassment and abuse of wildlife.
http://www.animalrightsflorida.org/Alligators.htm

Perhaps sensativity training would help, Grace?

It's not the gator's fault we stole all their habitat through over development and greed without a thought of the consequences. The inhumane hunt is just another way to cash in on them.

The 'inhumaine' aspect is, I'll admit, a sticking-point. Oddly, I'm reminded,(for some reason) of the seal-hunt; more exactly the clubbing of some of the seals.

Most of the articles you posted in regards the 'gator hunt seem to be against the hunt, so I question if the account of techniques used on the gators is 100% accurate....

But if they are, I suspect they could end up facing the same PR problems the seal-hunts have: It's hard to make it look humiane when the cameras are running.

Having lived in SE Texas and right on the LaTx border I have some experience with this.

I have never ever seen anyone "harpoon" a gator. Ever. My in laws are thoroughbred coon asses. Real not Justin Wilson types. Accent and all. Gator is good eating. It sorta tast like chicken. But only better. Has a bit of lemony taste to it.

The usual and preferred way of hunting is to take a piece of rope with steel leader and hook. Tie it to a large limb with hook and bait about a foot out of the water. Set out like limb lines for fish. Set out about 20 yards apart. Come back in a couple hours. If bait is submerge of course you have something on. You ease the line up til you see gator. If of appropriate size then you simply send a piece of lead through the brain. Drag in boat. Go home. Enjoy.

I like the way they use shit like "long bearded" etc. As if that somehow makes them bad people. Three of my college professors had long beards. Most hippie tree hugging make love not war worship the earth and animals types have long beards. So how does the beards make them more ominous?

I think saying things like "taste great" and "taste like chicken" is not snide in any way. They utilize everything off these gators. Skin for fancy purses and shoes etc for the rich folks. Meat for the restaurants and personal use. Even the heads and feet are sold.

They harpoon 'em here Warrior. And the whole attitude of these hunters (in link below) "sound like fun?"...adds insult to injury. It's the wrong attitude. They have absolutely no respect for this animal, the way it's hunted, nor the way it dies. Zip.


http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/huntin...igators-florida

I've had alligator twice. It was pretty good but mine didn't taste like chicken. I don't know how to describe it.

well depends on the part of the gator youre eating

lotsa folks just eat tail. Which is good and alot like chicken breast. The leg meat etc isnt near as good and i avoid it but many like it.

I didn't notice you putting up any poor homeless alligators in that swimming pool of yours...

But it does sound like fun.

Really...is there something wrong with fun, Grace?

Like shrimp?

You know a lot of times RF it seems THAT is more of an issue than anything with the AR types. They seem to despise the idea that someone else is having a good time. If I was confronted by the AR crowd I'd be the biggest jerk in the world. I'd probably kill something right in front of them if possible..maybe even eat the bastard raw.

RF

Fun is subjective. A rapist could also think what he's doing is fun. So yes, in answer to your question, there could be something wrong with fun.


OHIOSTEVE

Your brain has a touch of paranoia. AR's don't have a problem with anyone having fun unless they're torturing animals and calling it fun. You have some anger issues too Steve.

You are pulling your AR crap again grace.... Tossing out rape as a comparative is ludicrous. And yeah I do have an anger issue where AR's are concerned. I despise them, and would enjoy or any variation thereof.

Here we go again. I wasn't equating rape to killing an alligator. I was making a point that FUN was a subjective term and ok, was trying to use something that was devious because harpooning, bang-sticking, SLICING, SAWING an animal's spinal cord is not humane nor is it quick. Nor is it humane to ensure the harpooned alligator is totally exhausted before torturing it some more. Reminds me of whaling. I believe that hunters who call these acts fun are deranged. And furthermore, just because an alligator has thick hide, it only protects him so far.

RF asked is there something wrong with FUN. No, there's nothing wrong with FUN. But there could be something wrong with the act, and the person thinking that act is FUN when what they find enjoyable is actually considered henious and cruel.

Yes they do. The AR industry collectively doesn't think anyone is good enough to own an animal ergo they have issues with anyone enjoying them even as pets. Its a sick group.

That's an unfair blanket statement. There are ARA's who believe in pet guardianship and/or ownership and don't subscribe to the PETA mantra. If you're going to make statements about a specific group, at least be accurate with your aim.

Its not an unfair or inaccurate statement. I said the AR industry collectively for a reason. Some of its foot soldiers are blissfully ignorant of the leaders agenda. Others simply lie about their goals.

A movement based on lie and hate can't be honest.

Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up.

What I'm not understanding though, is the fact that you have chickens and shrimp (and the ocassional fish) killed for your own sense of fun. And I know there are people who think that is henious and cruel.

Yet you seem to give two shits about that. What's the difference?

Did it rain in your parts today?

you do that a LOT you know.

Matter of fact it did.

OHIOSTEVE

Well grace you DO do that a lot. You get a tough question and either make a silly flippant remark, or as you did here just completely change the subject.

It's not just a silly remark, it's a little "joke" between RF & me (the weather). I forgot which thread it was in but I'll see if I can find it.


Also, I reach a point where I'm sick and tired of these same old arguments. And I'm tired of fighting them on my own here, which has been the norm for years and years.

Here it is.

RF

Grace


RF


Grace



http://www.ethicdiscussion.com/discuss/ind...3082&st=285