ANIMAL "RIGHTS" AS ECOLOGICAL NONSENSE

"Many observers and researchers have pointed out that the western
world view is changing... as our population concentrates in cities, as
chances for contact with the natural world become rare, and as we have
little direct experience with the plants and animals whose lives
sustain our own." [p.28]

"...animal rights... grant moral standing to only a few
creatures. Most of those favoured with rights are birds and mammals,
stressing qualities of beauty, intelligence, charisma, 'awareness', or
traits that seem human-like. ...according rights to these selected
animals means we should not use them for our own purposes. The
remaining plants and animals - the majority of earth's living entities
- are considered appropriate for use and are given few rights or no
rights at all.

For Native American people like the Koyukon, the moral universe
includes all animals and plants. Every living thing has basic rights
and should be treated with respect, regardless of appearance,
personality, or perceived relationship with humans. But within
indigenous traditions there is also a deep and lucid awareness that
taking plant and animal life is how we survive each day. What matters
is that we conduct ourselves respectfully toward every organism,
consciously recognizing and honoring this dependence." [p.30]

"As a society, we strive toward greater closeness to the natural world
and toward a fuller recognition of our ecological relationships. Yet
the ...anti-hunting movement reflects an opposite trend - increased
distance from the environment, diminished awareness of how we interact
with it, and denial of basic biological processes."

"...hunting can have a rightful place in achieving this balance."
[p.31]

Richard Nelson. "Stalking the Sacred Game: Perspectives from Native
American Hunting Traditions". (Proceedings of the Governor's Symposium
on North America's Hunting Heritage. July 16-18 1992, Bozeman,
Montana). pp.22-32.