Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bu.edu!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!dragon From: dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Are you asking ME whether it's the hawk or the gun who is cruel? Message-ID: <25889@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> Date: 20 Nov 90 16:09:48 GMT References: <1990Nov17.002351.25330@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <3159@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Lines: 72 In article <3159@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> mm@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Mike Mahler) writes: > > I'm not so sure it's "quick and painless"... > > Purina Falcon Chow) and it was not pleasant to see and HEAR > the falcon SLOWLY eat the bird while it was still alive. In > fact, they seem to grab it and then fly to the perch and just > look around for a while (perhaps looking for competitiors? > Sam?) and peck at it's head every once in a while the whole > time the parakeet was screaming. Yes, looking for competitors, or anything else that might interrupt the meal. I've been watching the argument about who is more "merciful", a shotgun or a hawk. Not only do I find it the most absolutely silly topic of conversation I've ever encountered 8-)...but it seems that some of those involved have not had the opportunity to observe hawks feeding. By necessity, a place that releases recuperated birds to the wild must feed them on live prey, so that their hunting capability can be judged. I recall feeding a quail to a very enthusiastic goshawk and then watching from a distance. The gos jumped on the quail and then simply stood there, looking around. The quail was gasping most pitifully; every time it tried to struggle, the hawk would grip it tighter. This went on for about ten minutes until the hawk felt safe enough to feed. The quail only died when its body had been mostly ripped apart. On the other hand, I watched a Cooper's hawk (also an accipiter) exhibit what I call "prey-dancing". It grabbed a quail and immediately footed it into a very mushy pile of meat. I don't think the quail even knew what hit it. I have also seen peregrines immediately snap the neck of their prey before eating it...but I've also seen birds that had been struck by peregrines but not killed, and it is true the their injuries are particularly gruesome. So, is Nature cruel? Are hawks cold-blooded? That can only be judged by those who want to impose our own definitions upon Nature. In short, it does what is necessary. As for shotguns...well, this one, too, is a silly argument. A shotgun is an instrument -- it is neither cruel nor merciful in and of itself. The injuries that it inflicts CAN be very painful...but so can those inflicted by a redtailed hawk. Isn't it cruel that a gunshot bird can escape, only to slowly die later on? It is no more cruel than the rabbit whose hide is ripped from its back before it escapes from the hawk into its burrow. Now, there is one way in which guns are more "cruel" than a "natural" death: a hawk's talons are not made of lead. A gunshot bird who survives is likely to be eaten by someone else in the forest...and then that some- one is administered a toxic dosage of lead from the pellets buried in its prey. Nature counted on predators, including man -- what she didn't count on was lead. And as a final point in this rambling dissertation....please don't bore me with arguments that an animal hunts only because it HAS to, and man hunts only because he WANTS to. If anyone has ever seen a peregrine take down a bird, eat a small portion of the breast, and then fly away to hunt for something else, you'll understand. Don't get me wrong. I don't like guns pointed at my birds, either. But let's face facts. Guns exist. They aren't going to go away. Thus, the best we can do is try to learn how to use them responsibly. -- Sam Conway * What shape do you usually have? dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu * Mickey Mouse shape? Smarties Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College, NH * shape? Amphibious landing craft Vermont Raptor Center (VINS) * shape? Poke in the eye shape?