The March 2020 Newsletter for the New Hampshire Animal Rights Group is now available.
Tabling at New England Dog Expo
NHARL had a busy and productive day tabling at the New England Dog Expo hosted by Good Mojo University in Milford. We promoted our advocacy work and spotlighted the benefits of a vegan diet — both for people and for dogs. We had many good conversations and handed out a lot of vegan dog treats and vegan “people treats.” On top of that, we got 14 new names for our mailing list and collected some cash donations for NHARL.
Special thanks to Camberville Dog Treats, V-Dog, and Bobo’s bakery for donating the treats, and to Good Mojo University for inviting us.
HELANE SHIELDS WILDLIFE FUND
Helane Shields was a longtime member of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League and a passionate animal advocate.
Her legacy included a generous gift to NHARL, which we used to establish the Helane Shields Wildlife Fund in her honor.
The fund will be used to further our efforts to protect the wild animals of New Hampshire that Helane so loved, including beavers.
According to her husband, Charles, there’s a beaver pond not far from their home, and in winter Helane enjoyed seeing the steam from the beavers’ breath rising from their lodge.
Protesting at Living Shores Aquarium
Animal-rights protesters target Living Shores Aquarium at Story Land
By John Koziol, Union Leader Correspondent — Nov 10, 2019
GLEN — Two animal-rights groups held a protest Saturday outside the new Living Shores Aquarium at Story Land, questioning the commitment to animal welfare and giving a special nod to Lolita, an orca in Miami.
From noon until 2 p.m., about 10 people, representing the New Hampshire Animal Rights League and Until Lolita is Home, stood on the side of Route 16 in front of the aquarium, some holding signs that read, among other messages, “Animals are not our entertainment,” “Otters belong in the wild” and “Freedom matters to all.”
The protest generated no confrontations — a Bartlett police officer in a marked vehicle was in the Story Land parking lot nearby — but the protest did get many honks of support from passing drivers and at least one very loud, very clear expression of opposition from the driver of a bright red pickup truck.
Continue reading “Protesting at Living Shores Aquarium”
October 2019 Newsletter
The October 2019 Newsletter for the New Hampshire Animal Rights Group is now available. If you are an NHARL member, please remember to vote for board members on the last page of the newsletter.
Tabling at Souhegan Sustainability Fair
NHARL was on site at the Souhegan Sustainability Fair encouraging attenedess to “fight climate change with diet change.” Go Vegan!
Protesting Miss NH Pageant for Awarding Fur
NHARL joined with other animal rights groups outside the Miss New Hampshire competition to protest the awarding of a fur coat to the winner. Kristina Snyder led the initiative and was quoted by the Eagle Tribune:
“It is time that the Miss New Hampshire Organization and indeed Miss America’s as well, takes a stand against cruelty to animals and says ‘no’ to this fur coat… These young women are supposed to reflect today’s society and trends. They should show independence, compassion, and caring towards animals. By staying stuck in the past and accepting a fur coat made from tortured animals, instead it shows a regressive stance by this organization.”
Leghold traps are modern-day torture devices. New Hampshire trappers remove important predators from the ecosystem, including coyotes and foxes which help control Lyme disease.
Leghold traps do not discriminate, often trapping non-target animals. Pets as well as endangered/threatened species, such as American bald eagles and the New England cottontail rabbits, have all been victims of these cruel traps.
Support Endangered Wild Animals at Heron Pond
Fundraising Campaign to Support Endangered Wild Animals at the Heron Pond Wetland & Wildlife "Preserve" An “ecological gem”! DONATE NOW
“Thank you!”
THE WILD ANIMALS ARE AT RISK
Click Photo for Full View. The 270 acres owned by the Town of Milford is home to the Blanding’s Turtle, an “umbrella” species. Being an “umbrella” species means that where the Blanding’s Turtle lives, then so do countless other animal species live under the naturally rich environmental umbrella. This is so true here that the natural resources scientist who studied this place calls it “an ecological gem”! But all these animals, including those that are NH-state threatened and endangered, are at high and imminent risk from development that would negatively transform the habitat. The only hope is good people are working hard to prevent the loss.
HABITAT IS NOT YET PROTECTED
This special place in Milford, NH is outlined in white on the map. Click Photo for Full View. Unfortunately, the “preserve” is not currently protected as conservation land and instead is under intense pressure of development by Milford Town Officials. This means that these wild animals are at dire risk of losing their habitat permanently! The endangered animals in particular are highly susceptible to any habitat loss and many would perish as a result. Click Photo for Full View.
HELPING HANDS
Since 2012 a group of dedicated citizens has been working hard against the intense pressure of development by Milford Town Officials. Being completely volunteer, the Heron Pond Project Team members spend their own money. The Heron Pond Project Team spends money on actions to help the wildlife as needed to protect them and advocate on their behalf. Costs include Turtle Crossing signs; materials for meetings before Town boards and State agencies such as handouts and posters; study of the wildlife, sometimes hiring expert consultants; equipment and gear – for example, night camera, head lamp; and we take legal actions when they are unavoidable such as now. Thank you for considering a donation to protect the Heron Pond Wetland & Wildlife “Preserve”! Email Us for questions, comments, or for more information.
PHOTO GALLERY
Click on photo to view in full size.
Note
The NH Animal Rights League is the fiscal agent of the Heron Pond Project Team. This beautiful place needs our help to Save it. From the tiny fairy shrimp in the vernal pool to the whitetail deer on the landscape, they are all important members of NH’s ecosystem and need this rich habitat to survive. Please help by giving a tax deductible donation today. Thank you and our deepest gratitude!
Free No Hunting Signs
Posting your land against hunting creates safe haven for people, pets, and wildlife. We will send you as many free “No Hunting” signs as you need, to make it easy for you to post your property.
Along with your signs, we’ll send you a copy of the NH Landowner’s Guide to Protecting Your Property, which explains how and when to post, along with other useful information. Click to view
About protecting your property
People are often surprised to learn that by default privately owned land in New Hampshire is open to hunting.
This means that if you do not put up “No Hunting” signs, anyone with a hunting license can come on your property and hunt.
It is even legal for hunters to set up tree stands and observation blinds on your property from Apr 25–Jun 1 and Aug. 1–Dec. 31 in the absence of “No Hunting” signs. (Written permission is required to bait or trap animals on your property, however.)
Other states have what’s called “reverse posting,” which means privately owned land is off limits by default.
Allowing public use of private land is a tradition that dates back to New Hampshire’s first settlers.
Back then, when wild land was abundant and people depended on animal meat and fur for survival, the idea of public access to private land for the “public good” made sense.
But today, the New Hampshire landscape is completely changed. There is far less undeveloped land left for wildlife, and only a small percentage of people hunt.
Expecting today’s landowners to forego their property rights and leave their land open to hunting is an outdated notion.
Fur and Trapping
The New Hampshire Animal Rights League believes that wild animals have a right to an environment in which to live, breed, and raise their young, free from harassment by humans.
Fur and Trapping
Perhaps hundreds of years ago, killing an animal for its fur could be justified if the alternative were freezing to death. Yet even in the days of the North American frontiersmen, the fur trade was not driven solely by necessity.
Animals such as the beaver were trapped to near extinction in meeting demand for fashionable fur items. Today we have many options for keeping our bodies warm that don’t require taking the lives of animals.
Fur
Whether it comes from animals trapped in the wild or raised on a fur farm, every fur coat, fur accessory, or piece of fur trim causes tremendous suffering and needlessly takes lives.
At Discover WILD NH Day, an annual “family-friendly” event hosted by the NH Fish and Game Department, New Hampshire trappers display furs from animals that they killed.
Children line up to touch the soft fur of dead foxes, minks, skunks, and all the other animals that trappers, who comprise a tiny sliver of New Hampshire’s population, are allowed to torture and kill, often without limit.
For many years, NHARL has held demonstrations outside the event to educate the public about the inherent cruelty of trapping.
More recently, we have gone inside the event, becoming exhibitors, and presenting information about helping, rather than harming, wildlife.
The leg-hold trap is probably the most cruel device ever invented by man and is a direct cause of inexcusable destruction and waste of our wildlife.
Andrew’s Legacy
In 2012, a dog named Andrew was killed by an illegally set body-crushing conibear trap.
Out for a walk with his guardian on a public trail in Auburn, NH, Andrew caught the scent of the baited trap and went to investigate. Next came a popping sound, followed by a yelp, as the trap slammed shut on Andrew’s neck.
Screaming, his guardian tried desperately to free him, but conibear traps are purposefully designed to be extremely difficult to open. In the end, all she could do was watch helplessly as her beloved companion suffered and died in front of her.
The trapper responsible for Andrew’s death, George Klardie, was charged with three counts of violating NH Fish and Game trapping rules and fined a total of $248.
In 2013, the New Hampshire Animal Rights League worked alongside other animal protection groups to get these body-crushing traps banished from New Hampshire’s landscape. The legislation, known as “Andrew’s Law,” did not pass, but the tragic death of this dog brought public attention to the issue.
While Andrew’s death was witnessed by his human companion and widely mourned, countless wild animals routinely endure the same horrible death in these traps.
Learn More
- Two-sided issue addressed at Discover Wild N.H. Day (Concord Monitor, April 2018)
- NH Citizens Against Recreational Trapping
- A Trapper’s True Story by James Strecker
Fur Farming
Fur is no longer primarily obtained by trapping animals in the wild. Today 80% of the fur comes from fur farming operations.
On these farms, rabbits, foxes, mink, and other wild animals spend their entire lives in cramped cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviors. Confinement drives them to pace relentlessly, tremble, and self-mutilate.
The day that the cage door finally opens is the day they are killed. The finale to a life of utter misery is an excruciating death, accomplished in one of several ways devised not to damage their fur. Preferred methods include gassing, poisoning, and anal/genital electrocution.
At least one fur farm has operated in New Hampshire, Gauthier Fur Farm in Lyndeborough, but reports indicate it has since closed.
Hope for a Fur-Free Future
It’s been a long time coming — and too late for many animals — but 2019 brought an unprecedented shift in public attitude about fur. As consumers learned about the horrors of the fur industry, luxury brands, fashion houses, and department stores took note and began phasing out fur.
In 2019, Macy’s announced that they would stop the sale of fur and close their fur vaults by the end of 2020. This decision was celebrated by NHARL, who for many years held anti-fur demonstrations outside the Mall of New Hampshire, one of Macy’s locations.
