Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Case For Hunting, William L. Robinson

Hunting Collection

My purpose at this symposium is to present the case for hunting. I am a wildlife ecologist by training and profession, and I am also a hunter. As a hunter, I am sensitive to criticisms of this pursuit, as any hunter should be. Some people question how, with knowledge of the nature and functioning of ecological systems, I can go out with a gun and kill grouse, ducks, and deer. I respond that, indeed, my understanding of ecology and the nature of man enhances my enjoyment of hunting.

The Case For Hunting On National Wildlife Refuges, Harvey K. Nelson

Hunting Collection

Public land management agencies are faced with greater challenges today than ever before in responding to the recreational needs of society. As Will Rogers so aptly stated, "Land, they make so little of it nowadays" (Steinhart 1986). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) also must face these challenges in management of national wildlife refuges (NWRs). There is a growing demand by the American people to utilize and enjoy NWRs in a variety of ways. Managers are faced with the dilemma of determining how much and what kind of management and utilization of natural resources is appropriate without compromising the …

Effects Of Early Experience Upon Adaptiveness Of Horses, J. C. Heird, R. W. Bell, S. G. Brazier

Equines Collection

Experimentation with laboratory animals, encompassing the range of usual species (mice, rats, cats, clogs, and primates), has conclusively demonstrated that handling by humans during early life facilitates subsequent development in terms of health and viability, reduced emotional reactivity, more adaptive responses to a variety of stressors (both biological and behavioral adaptations), and increased ability to adapt to changing circumstances as exemplified by increased ability to learn and solve problems (seeM. Bornstein 1985, for recent review).

Two studies (described below) (Heircl et a!. 1981; Whitaker 1982) conducted at Texas Tech University (TTU) have extended these findings regarding the beneficial effects of …

Assault On Eden: Destruction Of Latin America's Rain Forests, Douglas R. Shane

Ecology Collection

In the seemingly distant world of Latin America's rain forests, man's greed and desperation have resulted in a fire which threatens to obscure our ability to observe life's poetry: The continuing destruction of the earth's tropical rain forests is one of the most serious environmental problems confronting humanity today: Intact, these vital organisms offer an understanding of the planet's past and a key to our future; destroyed, they threaten catastrophe of global consequence.

Wildlife And Nature Liberation, Michael W. Fox

Conservation Collection

Humane ethics--animal welfare--and animal rights are not incompatible with ecologically sound wildlife stewardship. They are an integral part of it, from treating wildlife for necessary research purposes humanely, to finding humane ways to control the populations of species that are out of balance and thus threatening the viability of other species and the diversity and integrity of the ecosystem. That mistakes may be made in stewardshipmanagement policies is inevitable. It is, for instance, difficult to know if the sudden abundance of one or more species and the dwindling of others is part of the natural process of succession and should …

Wildlife Conservation And Animal Rights: Are They Compatible?, Michael Hutchins, Christen Wemmer

Conservation Collection

The purpose of this paper is to explore the philosophical tenets of the animal rights/humane ethic as they relate to the environmental ethic and, more specifically, as they relate to wildlife management and conservation. The two ethics will be compared in an effort to identify potential sources of conflict. Recent criticisms of the animal rights ethic, most notably by Fox (1978, 1979), Rodman (1977), Callicott (1980), Gunn (1980), and Hutchins et al. (1982) have identified several major discrepancies. The implications of these differences will be discussed.

Social Ecology And Behavior Of Coyotes, Marc Bekoff, Michael C. Wells

Ethology Collection

Behavioral patterns are subject to natural selection and behavior like any other attributes of an animal, which contributes to individual survival. The chapter summarizes a long-term study of coyotes that was conducted in the Grand Teton National Park, in the northwest comer of Wyoming. There is remarkable agreement in the results stemming from a limited number of field projects concerned with the social behavior and behavioral ecology of coyotes, and some general principles concerning social ecology, scent marking, predatory behavior, time budgeting, and reproductive and care-giving patterns can be developed that are applicable not only to coyotes but to many …