The Negative Impact That Zoos Have On Animal Welfare

Moron Illegally Kills A Tagged Mountain Lion And His Wife Posts Images Of The Animal’s Corpse On Facebook.
A Missouri “deer hunter” lost his hunting rifle, $2,000, and a year’s worth of hunting privileges after illegally shooting a mountain lion from his tree-stand during the 2024-25 hunting season.
The big cat he shot had traveled nearly 800 miles from Nebraska, wearing double ear tags that identified it as part of a research project on mountain lion movement.
Joseph Licklider, 29, shot the mountain lion while deer hunting in Iron County on November 16, 2024.
Mountain lions are protected under Missouri law and can only be killed in self-defence or if they are attacking or killing pets or livestock.
Licklider admitted he shot the cat on impulse because he got excited after it wandered under his tree-stand and began walking away from him down a logging road.
Investigators said the animal’s wounds, evidence at the scene, and text messages, social media posts, and photos indicated the shooting was unjustified.
Licklider’s wife, Kendra, posted trophy photos of the big cat’s body sprawled across the tailgate of a pick-up truck to two Facebook groups.
One photo shows another member of Licklider’s hunting party cuddling the cat’s head.
( Outdoor Life, 23.06.2025 )  ..  outdoorlife.com

Moron Kills Dolphins With Poison And A Shotgun Because They Interfere With His Client’s Fishing.
Charter Captain Zackery Barfield was sentenced to 30-days in jail and a fine of $51,000, followed by a one-year term of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to three counts of killing bottlenose dolphins.
Bottlenose dolphins are highly protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Barfield claims to have gotten frustrated by dolphins taking red snapper fish off his clients’ lines during the short recreational season in the Gulf of Mexico.
As a counter-measure, he began lacing baitfish with methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide harmful to humans and wildlife, and feeding them to the dolphins around his boat.
Beyond violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, using this poison also violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which accounted for the heftier sentence.
Methomyl is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency and is only supposed to be used in non-residential settings to control flies, though Barfield fed the poisoned baits to an estimated 24 to 70 dolphins over the course of several months.
Barfield also used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot dolphins that were after clients’ fish, including during one trip with elementary school-aged children onboard.
It was confirmed that Barfield killed at least one dolphin with a shotgun between December 2022 and summer 2023, though he shot at least five more that did not immediately die near the boat.
( Supertrooper, 04.07.2025 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com

American Millionaire Hunter Killed By The Animal He Was Trying To Kill.
American millionaire ranch trader Asher Watkins, 52, was gored to death by a buffalo he was trying to kill in South Africa.
The animal charged out of the brush and hit Watkins, killing him almost instantly.
Watkins was a keen “hunter” who posted regularly on social media showing his kills.
Watkins was on a hunting safari in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, organised by CV Safaris.
( LBC, 06.08.2025 )  ..  abc.co.uk

Cowards And Morons Who Laughably Call Themselves “Hunters”.
If you feed bears because you’re trying to photograph them, you’re likely to get busted.
But feeding bears in 12 states and national forests in ten of those states is fine if you’re only trying to kill them.
Shooting bears over bait is legal in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma and New Jersey.
Outfitters are festooning the woods with bags and buckets full of such garbage as stale donuts, old candy, bacon fat and rotten meat, thereby teaching adult bears and their cubs that it’s safe, in fact advantageous, to hang around humans.
During “hunting” season, the conditioned bears will be executed at point-blank range by the cowards and the morons who laughably call themselves “hunters”.
( Supertrooper, 27.08.2025 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com

Increasing Numbers Of Whale And Dolphin Strandings In Scotland.
Over the past three decades, the number of whale strandings in Scotland, UK, has grown dramatically.
Scientists say pollution and industrial noise may be driving the losses.
Between 1992 and 2022, the number of strandings has risen from about 100 yearly to more than 300.
Baleen whales and common dolphins were particularly vulnerable, with both groups seeing an exponential growth in strandings since around 2010.
In the waters around Scotland, companies use seismic airguns to map the seabed, both to locate deposits of oil and gas and, less often, to determine where to anchor offshore wind turbines.
Loud noises can disorient whales or cause them to flee, with some becoming stranded in shallow waters.
In addition to noise, declining fish stocks and plastic and chemical pollution may be factors in whale deaths.
Baleen whales are also prone to becoming entangled in fishing gear, while dolphins are vulnerable to colliding with boats.
Ocean warming is also driving some whales further northward into Scottish waters, which may be raising the risk of strandings in the region.
( Yale Environment, 20.08.2025 )  ..  e360.yale.edu

Moron Jailed For Numerous And Severe Hunting Violations.
Most hunting violations don’t lead to prison time.
But in the case of one outfitter operating in Colorado and other states, the law-breaking was so “numerous and severe” that prosecutors said the stiff sentence was warranted.
On July 31, 2025, Timothy Rawlings of Laveen, Arizona., was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for violations of the Lacey Act.
That legislation protects wildlife by targeting crimes that cross state or international borders.
The list of charges against Rawlings, 56, includes illegal outfitting, brokering of landowner vouchers, shooting from vehicles, chasing animals with vehicles, and hunting in unlicensed and non-permitted lands.
Rawlings also failed to register animals taken, including mountain lions, as required by Colorado regulations.
Rawlings broke these laws over several years.
Rawlings’ company, Old West Guides and Outfitters, was based in Arizona.
However, it took paying clients to hunt in several states, including Colorado.
( Supertrooper, 30.08.2025 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com

The Negative Impact That Zoos Have On Animal Welfare.
A recent study has highlighted that some tourist attractions are exploiting wildlife and using them to visually entertain people, objectifying the animals in question and ruining our perception of the animal world.
A study co-led by researchers from Griffith University argued that some forms of wildlife tourism do little to help conservation or educate the public, while also causing harm to the animals.
One of the harrowing and upsetting examples they use is of orangutans at Safari World, Bangkok, who are dressed up in costumes and made to perform in kickboxing shows.
These practices not only harm animal welfare but also constitute profound violations of dignity and respect.
Wildlife experiences should offer respectful and meaningful encounters that encourage people to understand the animals and view them as more than mere entertainment.
Popular attractions like SeaQuest have come under scrutiny for their mistreatment of animals.
These animal facilities have received negative publicity for favouring profit over welfare, resulting in negligence or cruelty towards animals in their care.
Aside from not supporting these businesses, taking action and talking to your elected officials can help raise concerns and force changes in legislation to prevent these harmful practices from happening.
( The Cool Down, 02.09.2025 )  ..  thecooldown.com

The more aggressively a person argues against a compassionate lifestyle, the more questionable their motives become.
For there is no merit in defending violence.

The Mass Slaughter Of Songbirds In Cyprus.
Before dawn in Cyprus, the air rings with birdsong, but it is not real.
Hidden in the undergrowth of bushes across the mediterranean island are electronic lures which broadcast a manufactured chorus.
The pieces of technology mimic the calls of migrating songbirds and draw the unsuspecting creatures down into carefully placed death contraptions each day.
Around 450,000 songbirds, including some journeying to Africa from the UK, are slaughtered each year when they become ensnared in fine-mesh nets or stuck to branches smeared with glue.
Thrushes, wagtails, owls, wheatears, hoopoes and falcons have all been found stuck in the traps.
Illegal “hunters” also take aim at the skies by firing shots at species like buzzards and bee-eaters.
A lack of enforcement and prosecutions means Cyprus remains an industrialised killing ground.
( Supertrooper, 17.10.2025 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com