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Caribou boo-hoo

The Spokesman-Review

Your Jan. 17 article about “environmental” groups suing to protect Woodland Caribou Habitat in Boundary County made me cry. The issue is laughable, but the implications make one cry.

Their action is stupid, wasteful and inconsiderate. The herd spans the United States-Canada border. The animals move back and forth, so the size of the U.S. herd depends upon who came to visit. The animals are not endangered; few choose to be U.S. citizens.

That caribou must be isolated and protected from human contact is a myth. In the ’50s the local game warden was Mr. Paul Flynn, who studied and photographed the caribou. One photo was of a caribou eating moss off one end of a tree while a sawyer bucked it up. So much for the caribou’s delicate sensibilities. Paul Flynn still lives in Bonners Ferry and is an expert.

Finally, why I get so stirred up on this issue: 20 years ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Fish and Game jointly attempted to build the “U.S. herd” by helicoptering caribou from Canada to the United States. They killed many in the process and the rest walked home.

The caribou are not endangered; common sense is.

Dean Haagenson

Hayden



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