Washington: Manage Wildlife For Their Own Benefit
Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Commissioners
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Wildlife management in Washington state is not for the benefit of the wild animals who are managed. Recreationists, hunters, livestock producers, anglers, and other consumptive users are disproportionately prioritized and their human needs are placed above the animals whose livelihoods are directly affected by these management decisions.
Call on the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission, who sets wildlife policy in our state, to move towards a more holistic, compassionate method of managing wildlife, one that centers the animals themselves.
Our demands are:
Consider the welfare of individual animals during your decision making processes.
Detangle wildlife policy from consumptive special interest groups and enact wildlife policies that reflect the will of the people of Washington state.
Prioritize the protection and perpetuation of at-risk, vulnerable, and threatened species.
Ecosystems are more than just a “natural resource” for humans: make wildlife decisions primarily for the benefit of who are most impacted, the wild animals themselves.
Sponsored by
To:
Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Commissioners
From:
[Your Name]
We the petitioners call on you to do the following in order to manage wildlife in a way that actually benefits wildlife, and therefore us all:
1) Consider the welfare of individual animals during your decision making processes.
2) Detangle wildlife policy from consumptive special interest groups and enact wildlife policies that reflect the will of the people of Washington state.
3) Prioritize the protection and perpetuation of at-risk, vulnerable, and threatened species.
4) Ecosystems are more than just a “natural resource” for humans: make wildlife decisions primarily for the benefit of who are most impacted, the wild animals themselves.
Animals who live in nature play, problem-solve, build relationships, and care for their children. They want for food and security, as do we all. The depths of their morality and interdependence on one another are just now beginning to be understood. Their intelligence, familial and social structures, and daily curiosities are increasingly being studied in ways that emphasize, rather than minimize, their capabilities and agency.
Nature is more than a “natural resource” for humans. In fact, the idea that humans have dominion over nature has not always plagued humanity; the western dominant narrative that men and women are separate from nature, and insulated from the consequences of ravaging nature, is a relatively recent phenomenon that can be traced alongside the rise of western colonialism.
If we are to defeat the onslaught of biodiversity loss, we now must reevaluate our relationship with nature and wildlife. Instead of domination, exploitation, and disrespect, we are capable of forming a new kind of partnership with the inhabitants who share this earth with us.