dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) (12/06/89)
Nearly one out of every five hawks that are brought to the Raptor Center in Woodstock, VT, are victims of gunshot. There are still vast numbers of people out there who do not realize that these birds are protected by Federal law to such a degree that even being caught in possession of a hawk feather is punishable by a fine. I have sympathy for a farmer who wants to protect his livelihood; however, I cringe at the number who still head for the old shotgun the moment they see a redtail circling over their chicken coops. They refuse to believe that for every chicken that a buteo hawk might get his talons on, the hawk has already cleared perhaps 50 rats and up to 500 mice out of the fields. That adds up to a lot of grain being saved, which I think is worth the cost of a chicken once or twice a year. I try to encourage people who witness the shooting of a hawk not to simply shake their heads and move on. Convictions are very difficult to get without witnesses, and too often the witnesses "do not want to get involved". By not getting involved, though, these people are, in effect, condoning the shooting, because without their testimony, nothing will stop the offender from doing it again. Forgive my soapbox presentation -- I've just been informed that a gunshot hawk that I brought in has had to be destroyed. It is said that the hawk (a redtail) was sitting on a post too near to a birdfeeder, and was shot to protect the songbirds feeding there. Unfortunately, those who reported this are not willing to repeat it to the game wardens. (Please note the distinct absence of any mention of cats above.) -- Sam Conway dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College Vermont Raptor Center, VINS Save the Humans!