 |
For a number of people, the killing of any animal whether
that be; livestock to eat, protection of crops, assistance to a
threatened species or gamebirds for sport is, on moral grounds, just wrong.
Such a straightforward and clear-cut position neatly avoids
forming a view about what is, and is not, acceptable when tackling complicated
conservation issues. I am, as Ian Carter
of Natural England said in British Birds, rather
envious of this simplicity.
Discussion about trapping any animal is very serious but let’s continue
with this idea of keeping things simple. If we accept that the killing of a
fox is wrong on moral grounds – we could have to also say…
…the time has come for us
to address one of the bigger killers of foxes - cars
The Mammal Society estimate cars kill an estimated 100k foxes a
year. Is your journey more important than a fox? Yes? Well you have had 80
years to sort it out but still the killing by cars continues. The time for a ban
has come.
It may sound a bit odd at first, but this fictitious press release calling
for cars to be banned from our roads. If follows the same logic as a recent
petition calling for the banning of snares.
Fox Protection Society launches petition to ban cruel and
barbaric cars
Organisation: Fox Protection Society
Date: 25.09.13
A petition has been set up by the Fox Protection Society calling for a
complete ban on the use of motor cars in England and Wales.
The petition was launched after the launch of the Society's manifesto to ban cars. The report showed current voluntary code of practice (the Highway Code, which was introduced in over 80 years ago in 1931) simply does not work. Anything in contact with the tarmac (including humans) and anything winging its way across the killing pathway is doomed.
Previous calls for clear “best practice” guidelines for drivers, which includes a national 30 mph speed limit at night to reduce mammal kill and calls to cut driving speeds on warm summer days to reduce insect kill have been ignored. A complete ban on car use is the only way to stop more animal suffering.
Throughout October the animal welfare charity will be upping its anti-car campaign with the launch of its Car Aware month aimed at raising the public's awareness of the barbarity of cars.
Working alongside fellow animal charities, the Society are releasing daily case studies to highlight the horrific suffering car traffic causes to pets and British wildlife.
Basil Brush, Chief Executive at the Society, commented: "Cars cause a horrendous amount of pointless animal suffering to which car users are generally indifferent, yet shockingly car use remains legal. With the launch of Car Aware Month we seek to change this. Already individuals have given us their support and we are confident that as awareness grows, so will the number of petition signatures."
Almost everyone in Britain uses cars, and the machines commonly kill or injure wild animals and pets. Although sensible driving taking into account wildlife hazards would prevent much or most of the problem, the evidence is that drivers are heedless of the risks and of the suffering they leave behind them. The nature of cars also means that all such deaths and suffering are unintended, incidental to the purpose of car driving, and therefore unnecessary. Despite the enormous value of the car industry, no efforts have been made by manufacturers to improve cars so as to lessen the risk of accidents involving animals.
Supporting the Society's campaign, Vet Jemima Puddle-duck: "Cars are a particularly cruel and inhumane force acting on our wildlife and pets. When accidents are not fatal, the injuries inflicted on animals by cars can be truly horrific and it is well past the time to make these devices illegal. As a vet and animal lover I fully support the move to get the use of cars banned in the UK and urge others to do the same."
The Society is calling on members of the public to write to their local councils to request that cars are not permitted on local roads. The charity has also issued a warning to pet owners to be vigilant to the threat of cars to their pets.
The petition was launched after the launch of the Society's manifesto to ban cars. The report showed current voluntary code of practice (the Highway Code, which was introduced in over 80 years ago in 1931) simply does not work. Anything in contact with the tarmac (including humans) and anything winging its way across the killing pathway is doomed.
Previous calls for clear “best practice” guidelines for drivers, which includes a national 30 mph speed limit at night to reduce mammal kill and calls to cut driving speeds on warm summer days to reduce insect kill have been ignored. A complete ban on car use is the only way to stop more animal suffering.
Throughout October the animal welfare charity will be upping its anti-car campaign with the launch of its Car Aware month aimed at raising the public's awareness of the barbarity of cars.
Working alongside fellow animal charities, the Society are releasing daily case studies to highlight the horrific suffering car traffic causes to pets and British wildlife.
Basil Brush, Chief Executive at the Society, commented: "Cars cause a horrendous amount of pointless animal suffering to which car users are generally indifferent, yet shockingly car use remains legal. With the launch of Car Aware Month we seek to change this. Already individuals have given us their support and we are confident that as awareness grows, so will the number of petition signatures."
Almost everyone in Britain uses cars, and the machines commonly kill or injure wild animals and pets. Although sensible driving taking into account wildlife hazards would prevent much or most of the problem, the evidence is that drivers are heedless of the risks and of the suffering they leave behind them. The nature of cars also means that all such deaths and suffering are unintended, incidental to the purpose of car driving, and therefore unnecessary. Despite the enormous value of the car industry, no efforts have been made by manufacturers to improve cars so as to lessen the risk of accidents involving animals.
Supporting the Society's campaign, Vet Jemima Puddle-duck: "Cars are a particularly cruel and inhumane force acting on our wildlife and pets. When accidents are not fatal, the injuries inflicted on animals by cars can be truly horrific and it is well past the time to make these devices illegal. As a vet and animal lover I fully support the move to get the use of cars banned in the UK and urge others to do the same."
The Society is calling on members of the public to write to their local councils to request that cars are not permitted on local roads. The charity has also issued a warning to pet owners to be vigilant to the threat of cars to their pets.
Notes
There are about 30 million motor vehicles on Britain’s roads. To
take one wildlife species as an example, the Mammal Society Road Deaths
Survey estimated that 100,000 foxes are killed on Britain’s roads annually;
an unknown further number are injured. To put this into context, Britain’s
gamekeepers – who kill foxes deliberately to protect ground-nesting wild birds
– kill an estimated 39,000 foxes annually.
This call for the complete ban on cars, on moral grounds
alone, neatly avoids any wider discussion. No mention about
why cars are used or what would be lost without their use. The
issues are complex. Just like snaring, saying something is wrong, and
starting a petition, does not, on its own, make it wrong. The detail
needs careful consideration.
Is it acceptable for cars to still kill foxes so you can make
that car journey? but not acceptable to use a snare in the
spring or summer to save a curlew, or other ground nesting bird? Not
even at sites where other methods of fox control become impractical because of
the growth of vegetation cover, especially among arable crops?
For those looking for hard factual information about snares the Game
& Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has, over the years, contributed
to that discussion by conducted research to understand about both the utility
of snaring and its drawbacks. For more information on the development on
more effective snares and operating practices click here.
In seriousness I am sure a lot could be done to improve some of the damaging effects of cars by getting people to slow down. It's not just wildlife that suffers it's people too. I cycle a lot on country lanes and my life is put in danger by the odd nutter. I'm surprised the RSPCA don't get behind such a campaign the could find common ground with organisations like the CA.
ReplyDelete