Supplement to Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador: Supplement to an Address Presented by Lt.-Colonel William Wood, F.R.S.C. Before the Second Annual Meeting of the Commission of Conservation in January, 1911Wood, William
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Supplement to Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador: Supplement to an Address Presented by Lt.-Colonel William Wood, F.R.S.C. Before the Second Annual Meeting of the Commission of Conservation in January, 1911
I trust your good work will be crowned with success. A lot
of good has already been accomplished by the spreading of
literature on this subject by the Audubon Society, the
A.O.U. and others, but much remains to be accomplished. It
has always been my aim in this section to prevent wanton
destruction of all kinds and I am glad to say I have had
considerable success in educating our younger generation
here. Small birds of all kinds used to be wantonly killed by
boys, a thing I rarely see now--it was the same in the other
ways by men--but I must say that _real_ trappers or Indians
are not the worst by any means. These men will kill at all
times and seasons but only through necessity; strangers and
so-called sportsmen are generally the offenders. I have been
a trapper myself for years, a professional, but had been
taught never to kill wantonly.... Of course, much study and
care must be exercised in preserving species of birds and
animals from destruction, or else, as you say, mistakes may
be made. There are species of such that are destructive to
others when allowed to increase beyond certain limits, and
it takes a very short time to do that in some cases....
About three years ago, ruffed grouse were so scarce
everywhere that I have travelled hundreds of miles without
seeing one. They were protected by law, which no doubt did
much near the densely populated sections, but as far as our
coast was concerned did absolutely nothing because Indians
and trappers shot them on sight for food. Last year there
were a few seen here and there and all at once, during the
present season, there are thousands. Hundreds have been shot
and they are reported abundant all over. I imagine this must
be due to particularly favourable weather conditions and the
immense number of foxes trapped last winter. There is also
this fall, an extraordinary number of muskrats--they are
swarming everywhere, even in totally, unfavourable
localities, doing much damage in some places. What is the
cause of this? Presumably it must be through some cause
decreasing the number of their enemies. This is why I think
much care must be taken before any steps are taken to
protect certain species. Some still hold their own against
all odds.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, Governor General of Canada,
acknowledged the receipt of the _Address_ from Balmoral Castle in
September, granted an interview at Ottawa in December, and authorized
the use of his name to show his sympathy with the movement.
Dr. W.T. Grenfell has a long and most intimate knowledge of the
Atlantic Labrador. He writes:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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