Refuse to back proposed ban on trapping

I want to urge Montana residents to refrain from supporting Initiative 169, an effort to strip away the right to trap in our state. This misguided effort is based on the inaccurate perception being spread by animal rights activists that trapping has — in their words — “decimated” animal species in Montana and is a danger to the public.

There is no shred of truth to either of these statements and the public should challenge signature-gatherers to prove these lies. The truth is regulated trapping is vital to maintaining healthy animal populations and their habitat. That is why it is supported by wildlife biologists. And despite animal rights activists’ allegations that humans and pets are at huge risk from traps, the incidences of pets getting snared are rare and the chances of any actual injury even more rare.

If you are approached by animal rights activists seeking your signature, please tell them “no,” and tell them that you believe our wildlife populations should be managed based on science and what is actually best for the animals, not by petitions based on lies and inaccurate statements.

Fran Buell

Gildford