On airgun hunters

I just want to clarify the statement in the newspaper (Hunters still breaking the chain of life for ‘fun' – Jan, 26, 2008 issue) as:

Ledesma, chair of the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation Inc. that has been actively working for the preservation and regeneration of endangered species, said the air rifle hunters are the most difficult people to work with because they hunt for the sport and not for the need to eat.

And this is not true just in Negros , but in various parts of the country, too, he said.

With all due respect, all the airgun hunters I know are humble and easy to talk with.  Not all airgunners are hunters, and not all hunters are airgunners.  They all come from different strata, from farmers to rich people living in exclusive subdivisions.  This whole thing came about when Josef Sagemuller maliciously branded hunters in his petition site. 

I have nothing against environmentalist. 

I see environmentalist as partners.  But I am against radicalism, it is found to be unproductive and useless.  I am categorically against the killing of endangered, vulnerable species.  Let's be clear about that.  There are no airgun hunters in the forest.  If there are, it's few, rare even. 

The reason is simple: One does not need an airgun to kill big game such as the Visayan wart and the Negros deer and CO2 airguns do not work well in cold places or in high altitude.

Of course I do not deny that there are bad eggs in everything, but that is the job of the forest rangers to guard potential entry to any park.... lest the guard itself is the hunter.

Endangered dove species roost on high trees, which an airgun cannot reach, thus people use 22 long rifles (firearms) to do the job.

The moratorium in Negros Oriental was precisely a failure since when they banned the airgun, which by the way does not need a license but only a one time registration in Camp Crame, the hunters then bought licensed 22 firearms and the hunting in the forest still goes on.  Contrary to hunters here in the Occidental side, they only hunt in the lowlands since the quarry is very abundant and farmers also welcome them. 

The quarries that I am talking about are: Zebra dove (korokokok), which is by the way not endemic in this country.  It is also abundant and prolific; . Lace neck dove (tukmo); . Red turtle doves (dundunay) blamed for the dwindling numbers of the Negros dove. Very aggressive and flies in the hundreds; Feral pigeons (pating) occasionally on farmers request; Galinago galinago (snipes, kamang) non-endemic, least concern, migrates from China to the Philippines from Sept to March.

Respectfully yours,

GINO CASTABDIELLO
heightaddict@yahoo.com

They have a right to live

How many thousands of helpless animals do you kill annually? I may not be a hardcore vegetarian environmentalist I also consume pork, beef, chicken, and fish. But other animals that should be left alone and free in the wild should be left alone and free in the wild. Do I have to further explain it? Nowadays you even see a lot of gradeschool and high school students participating in tree planting and environmental protection activities. Then at the same time the public will see grown up adults like you with your cheap attires and cheap rifles, breaking the chain of life for fun. Before you take off from your homes with your full battle gears, what will you tell your kids? "We will go hunting, killing animals"?

I live in this city of Bacolod and I do have a constant supply of birdseeds, I feed different types of sparrows and housebirds every morning, at the garden they sing different tunes. My neighbors do the same thing. Me and my friends have our own personal battles with hardcore criminals and rebels before, we survived. But mind you, the innocent animals you kill for fun have their right to live. Please leave them alone and look for a different and more productive activity to do. May you be enlightened.

TOTO PINEDA
toto_pineda@yahoo.com

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