Below is one of a series of articles examining Initiative Petition 28, a potential citizen ballot measure proposed by radical anti-hunting and animal rights extremists that would make it a crime in Oregon to hunt, fish, raise livestock and poultry for food and/or dairy products, and even carry out pest control. It would also severely affect and change private property rights, recreational activity on public lands, restaurants and small business owners, coastal communities, working animal industries, agricultural-related youth organizations and programs, and the state’s economy on multiple fronts. Also, it would lessen the ability of Oregonians to acquire food. This piece focuses on IP 28’s impact on pest control.
Imagine seeing mouse droppings in your basement, crawl space, garage or shed, setting a trap, catching and killing one (or more) and then being charged with a crime for doing so. Sound crazy? That is exactly what may happen if a radical animal rights ballot initiative passes in Oregon.
Initiative Petition 28 (IP 28) removes animal cruelty exemptions from state statute for about every reason or activity, except self-defense. That includes pest control. You read that correctly. If you trap and/or kill a mouse, IP 28 would label you a lawbreaker and you would be subject to criminal punishment and penalties.
“It is also possible to trap mice and rats in non-lethal traps for them to be released, and it is also possible to use contraceptives rather than poison to manage their populations,” said IP 28 chief petitioner David Michelson.
So, “birth control” for mice and rats so they can freely live in homes, stores, restaurants and other food suppliers as well as on produce-producing farms? According to the Centers for Disease Control, rodents can carry or spread more than two and a half dozen bacterial, parasitic or viral diseases. Plus, they may also be carriers for fleas, mites and ticks that also spread disease. Not eliminating the rodents may mean risks to human health and the food supply.
What about larger vermin that destroys food and crops, infest property or spread disease? Examples include raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, foxes or others? The same holds true. IP 28 would not allow citizens to trap and kill them.
A February incident in Salem, a city about 55 miles southwest of Portland, highlights the public safety danger IP 28 may introduce and perpetuate. A coyote bit a woman as she walked her dog, leaving her with minor injuries. That prompted the local sheriff’s department to notify residents and schools to keep a close eye on young children and pets.
A Google search shows Oregon has 270 to 360 pest control businesses with scores of employees, all of whom would be out of a job.
Animal rights activists equate animals to humans.
“We want the immediate liberation of animals,” said Michelson. “Let’s stop the state from allowing all this violence to happen.”
They do not want any animals to be removed. They want more of them, despite the inherent dangers many of them carry or propagate. Therein lies the danger of the ballot initiative.
Hunt 2 Conserve strongly opposes IP 28 and urges Oregonians to reject it.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
