The Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Pete the Moose, who developed a cult following with a Facebook page and a rally at the Vermont Statehouse after biologists threatened to kill him to prevent the spread of disease, has died, the state's top wildlife official said Friday..... A public outcry erupted, and in 2010, Vermont lawmakers crafted a compromise.
... But lawmakers reversed themselves earlier this year, saying wild animals in the state can't be privately owned and are legally a public trust, owned by all Vermonters.
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From the Burlington Free Press:
As Vermont mourns Pete the Moose's death, questions swirl
State officials say they were 'misled' about Pete the Moose's well-being
...“This is the prime example of why wildlife should be kept wild,” the commissioner said. “When you try to domesticate wild animals you have to undertake these sorts of procedures, and you put their lives at risk.”
...
Lawrence Pyne, outdoors columnist for the Burlington Free Press, said Pete never should have been taken from the wild.
“If Pete has one important, lasting legacy, it’s that he was the catalyst for the bill being introduced last January that established in the law that wildlife is a public trust resource that cannot be privatized,” Pyne said.
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From ABC News:
you know how to tell when nelson is lying - his lips are moving....
ReplyDeleteFrom the ABC News report:
ReplyDeleteThe owner of the game park where Pete the Moose lived has taken responsibility for covering up the death of Vermont's favorite animal, the state's fish and wildlife commissioner said Saturday.
But his son, Richard Nelson, told WCAX-TV that the family misled the state.
"The blame goes to us," he said. "We're the ones that didn't say Pete died."
"We said we would take care of Pete, and then a few weeks later, geez, Pete died," he said. "And so we were mortified, and we said, 'Oh, we'll just sit on this one.'"
From Larry Pyne's column in the Burlington Free Press:
ReplyDeletePete ultimately spurred a broad coalition of hunters, environmentalists and wildlife rehabilitators to push the Legislature to not only reverse course earlier this year, but to pass a very good bill. One that unequivocally establishes in law that wildlife is a public-trust resource that cannot be privatized.
Can we sell Perch anymore?
ReplyDeleteAnon 11/1 - yes, with restrictions in Vermont
ReplyDelete