Target: Shawn Benge, US National Parks Service Deputy Director
Goal: Stop lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison.
The National Parks Service (NPS) recently held a lottery that allowed anyone to enter for the chance to hunt bison in the Grand Canyon. More than 45,000 people entered the lottery, which is part of an initiative to limit the population of bison, whose growing numbers are negatively impacting resources in the Grand Canyon area. The NPS will ultimately only select twelve skilled shooters.
While the NPS has defended their decision for the cull, stating that a fast growing bison population has been ravaging water, vegetation, soils, and archaeological sites within the national park, the excitement around the opportunity to hunt this majestic animal is concerning. Hunting at national parks is forbidden, but the NPS does have the jurisdiction to allow park staff or volunteers to kill animals that are damaging the natural spaces. This normalization and “viral” attention that the search for bison-hunting volunteers has drawn could potentially lead to unauthorized hunting or attack on wild animals.
Sign this petition to urge the NPS to stop the public lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison.
PETITION LETTER:
To Mr. Benge,
The publication of the culling of bison in the Grand Canyon and the ability for anyone to simply enter a lottery to hunt these animals sends the wrong message to the public. The NPS should be focused on conservation and respect for nature. This lottery has, instead, created “viral” excitement around the possibility of shooting a majestic animal that is native to the United States. The fact that 45,000 people registered for a lottery reveals a strange and gruesome desire of many individuals to kill wild animals.
I urge you to stop the lottery to hunt Grand Canyon bison and leave conservation efforts of all kinds to NPS staff.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Kewing
Common sense tells me we should be harvesting or hunting more animals. Also wolves and bears as they are all over their thresholds!
You are wrong and almost all species of wildlife are becoming extinct due to humans. People like you need to get their heads examined. We need to protect wildlife not slaughter them and save their habitats.
i am with you Amy….it seems all the news is about shooting and killing all of the natural animals & wildlife….the world is becoming too trigger happy.
Common sense tells me that you are an idiot. How about our overpopulated destructive species??? No mention about that. Too many arrogant human idiots who think they are so important because they are humans. Wolves, bears, coyotes all have a purpose on this planet and mother nature takes care of them when they are over abundant.
You are so right!!
The only good hunter is a dead one. Hunt the hunters and turn these evil scumbag animal killers into fertilizer!
Oh, you are all right, you said just in point: a good hunter is a dead one. Perverts with problems, thus they have to kill for pleasure…
Horror!
The soft word “cull” means slaughtering! Maybe humans should worry about their overpopulation why not get spayed and neutered.
Cull or hunt. I watched the most amazing programme about these magnificent creatures who were once hunted to extinction. Here we go again.