Speechless. Disheartened. Disappointed. Sorrowful. Those are just a few of the emotions I experienced after finding out about the fate of the mother moose in Red Willow Park on Wednesday.
Speechless. Disheartened. Disappointed. Sorrowful. Those are just a few of the emotions I experienced after finding out about the fate of the mother moose in Red Willow Park on Wednesday. We value wildlife and nature in this city immensely; it is a significant aspect of our collective community values. At a time when society places great mindfulness and attention to the welfare of animals, both wild and domestic, the practice of shooting an animal in circumstances like these should be outlawed. We live in their ecosystem. We destroy their forests and habitats. We push them to engage in atypical behaviours. Just by our mere presence, we impact what they do.
Aversive conditioning? A typical response of any wild animal to a bean bag or rubber bullet would be to fight or flee. An officer cannot simply pull the trigger because an animal acts instinctually. This mother moose protected her young and chose to react in one of these two ways. Her choice should not have proven fatal. Did we set her up and fail her? Absolutely. Judging from the size of her young, she was quite skilled at protecting and raising them. Of course she would charge. Or did she? Some witnesses indicate otherwise. Perhaps video footage should be secured in situations where officers make lethal choices. Or even have a dash cam rolling. The greater society seems to want proof that the animal left them with no other choice but to pull the trigger.
More needs to be done to secure alternative means of peaceful, non-aversive “wildlife management.” Tranquilizing doesn't always work? Try something else. Research alternative procedures. Consult with animal behaviour specialists. Equip officers with better options. It is time to end the archaic, barbaric and unnecessary methods that are relied on. It is no longer acceptable. It is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed by our city and even our ministers. Anger is easily directed toward the officers involved but they are following outdated mandates, directives and strategies. The political pressure of change is mounting, let us hope something is done soon.
Dionne Sackiw, St. Albert
