sonoran silkies: my husband got on here and posted that line you copied. (As well as the rest of the posting on this thread under my name, until now). While I disagree with the particulars of the statement "All animals, wild and domestic have a sovereign right to exist regardless of the benefits or threats they may pose to human kind. ..." due to its obvious implications that you also found fault with, let me just say that my husband is a big softie who can't bear the thought of an animal being killed for doing what it's species is supposed to do, i.e. scavange for food.
That being said, I don't think killing all animals who are doing what animals instinctually do, is the necessary answer. I do understand that by relocating said nuisance animals, one is simply putting the problem elsewhere. But what happened to an animals' right to live as well? Yes, most would agree that raccoons are mess-making, chicken killing, disease carrying horrors, but they are still animals. If we didn't encroach onto more and more wild animals' territories, we wouldn't be forcing raccoons, oppossums, bobcats, etc to come to our homes for an easy meal. Many people view chickens as nasty disease carrying creatures only fit for the human dinner table. But we would all shout in anger and find legal recourse if someone came to our home and dispatched our beloved pets for being the aforementioned "nasty creatures". But many folks on this very website have lodged complaints against neighbors for being upset that their chickens are free ranging in the neighbor's back yards or pooping on their sidewalks, or wandering in the road. It all comes down to ownership. If your chickens are really worth so much that you would kill wild animals for even walking by the cage, then take the initiative to better fortify your precious pets' home so that the predators can't infiltrate it. Take ownership of the issue. If a raccoon got into your flimsy run last night (for example) and killed all your chickens, take ownership of the problem, admit that you could have housed your birds better, and fix the problem. I promise you that if you make your coop safe enough, the predator will give up eventually. There is no need for all the senseless killing over an animal that should have been better protected to begin with.
That being said, I don't think killing all animals who are doing what animals instinctually do, is the necessary answer. I do understand that by relocating said nuisance animals, one is simply putting the problem elsewhere. But what happened to an animals' right to live as well? Yes, most would agree that raccoons are mess-making, chicken killing, disease carrying horrors, but they are still animals. If we didn't encroach onto more and more wild animals' territories, we wouldn't be forcing raccoons, oppossums, bobcats, etc to come to our homes for an easy meal. Many people view chickens as nasty disease carrying creatures only fit for the human dinner table. But we would all shout in anger and find legal recourse if someone came to our home and dispatched our beloved pets for being the aforementioned "nasty creatures". But many folks on this very website have lodged complaints against neighbors for being upset that their chickens are free ranging in the neighbor's back yards or pooping on their sidewalks, or wandering in the road. It all comes down to ownership. If your chickens are really worth so much that you would kill wild animals for even walking by the cage, then take the initiative to better fortify your precious pets' home so that the predators can't infiltrate it. Take ownership of the issue. If a raccoon got into your flimsy run last night (for example) and killed all your chickens, take ownership of the problem, admit that you could have housed your birds better, and fix the problem. I promise you that if you make your coop safe enough, the predator will give up eventually. There is no need for all the senseless killing over an animal that should have been better protected to begin with.
