Trapping Reform in Wyoming

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An Overall Ethic of Compassionate Conservation for Our Wildlife

Wyoming Untrapped’s mission seeks to promote an overall ethic of compassionate conservation for our wildlife and other natural resources.

Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, covers these complicated issues in his most recent article in Psychology Today, Compassionate Conservation Meets Cecil the Slain Lion.

The broad and interdisciplinary field of conservation biology has received a good deal of attention in the past two weeks that has stimulated researchers and others to weigh in on what sorts of human-animal interactions are permissible as we try to save nonhuman animals (animals) and their homes. For example, some of the challenging questions that arise are: Should we kill in the name of conservation? Is it okay to trade off the lives of animals of one species for the good of their own or other species? Is seeking the “most humane” way of killing animals the only way to move forward? Is it possible to stop the killing of other animals and factor compassion that centers on the lives of individuals into our decisions? Should we try a “hands off” policy to see if it works where it’s clear our interference, despite our best intentions, has not solved the problems at hand? How do we factor in the interests of other animals and humans as we deal with the numerous — and growing — challenging and frustrating conflicts at hand? The field of anthrozoology focuses on these and other questions.

To understand more about compasionate conservation, read the full article:
Compassionate Conservation Meets Cecil the Slain Lion.

Photo by Chris Lorenz.

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