LETTER

In response to Katharine Fletcher’s column about Canada Goose coats

 

I personally don’t care about Canada Goose© coats; I prefer eating, and paying my rent, to buying one of their coats.  And maybe I’m naïve, but I favour Native trappers to White ones; something to do with their view of trapping.  However, some lines in your article did trouble me.

‘…in many regions of North America, coyotes are considered a pest,…’ I have some problems with people calling coyotes ‘pests’; it makes me wonder what they think of wild rabbits and mice; as fuzzy bunnies and cute Mickey-Mice? In reality, rabbits and rodents are pests, and what eats them are coyotes, (making up 50% of their diet).

But you don’t seem to believe me; ‘…as they attack livestock, endangered prey species, pets, and sometimes even people.’ True, there have been attacks on people, but you’re more likely to be killed by your dog than by a coyote. Myself, I was nearly killed by a neighbour’s dog when I was 7 years old. And what are your ‘endangered prey species’? Wouldn’t hunting and destruction of habitat by humans be a bigger threat to them?  Finally, deer have attacked, and even killed, people; but you don’t seem to be painting them with the same ‘ungodly’ paintbrush.

‘However, good friends who raise sheep and cattle have serious predator-related problems with these predators, despite having guard dogs.’  They must be really aggressive coyotes, (or coydogs), since coyotes are naturally wary of humans. And some of these species of livestock guardian dogs would scare even wolves away.  But considering that some of these shepherds and cattle herders, with the help of OFAH, held hunting contests, (illegal in Quebec, by the way), a few years ago, I’d take some of their claims with a grain of salt.

‘Being opposed to killing predatory wild animals…is a matter of perspective. It’s easy to stand in judgement when we’re disassociated.’ That phrase really troubles me personally, since I’ve studied, and I write stories with wild predators as main characters.  So are you saying that people who like wolves and coyotes and the like are stupid and out-of-touch?  Let me ask you a question: do you approve of the killing of wolves in northeastern BC so hunters can kill more deer who are being chased out of their habitats by condo developers? And what about killing bears for the gall bladder trade, or just for the fun of it? Lots of people around the world are opposed to these things, including the Humane Society. Are you saying that the Humane Society is a ‘stupid’ organization?

‘It’s not so easy if we’re a shepherd, defending our livestock from being ripped apart by coyotes.’  Do you know what the British used to call the ‘sportsman-like’ way to kill a red fox? Have the hounds rip it to shreds! And in 2001, an Alberta man was arrested for having trained his dogs to rip wild animals to shreds. If it’s done by domestic dogs, by order of humans, it’s OK?

And let’s play devil’s advocate here; if that calf or lamb had not been supposedly killed and eaten by a coyote, what would have happened to it? It would probably have been killed and eaten by you or me. Now, you might say that if it’s butchered by a human, the farmer gets money. But predation insurance does exist in Ontario, right?

You claim that real fur is better than fake fur, because fake fur is made from petrochemicals.  What else is made from petrochemicals?  Solvents, degreasers, vinyl flooring, vinyl records, rubbing alcohol, acrylic, epoxy glue, synthetic rubber, lubricants, nylon, detergents, polyester, cosmetics … the list goes on and on. You’re right: we must all be ‘conscientious consumers’.

‘If you live in downtown Vancouver, you likely don’t need a Canada Goose or other…fur parka.  If you live in Quebec or other parts of Canada, you just might.’ Just because you may have a fur coat doesn’t mean everyone else does. For example, I’ve never worn a fur coat, and I lived on the family farm just south of Quebec City for over 30 years. Neither my mother, nor my late father, wore fur coats; and none of my brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces do.  Some of my aunts did, but none of my cousins do. And nearly none of these people are ‘slickers’, and none are Vancouverites.

So, in conclusion, while Canada Goose© isn’t ethically doing anything wrong, you need to get your education on predators from scientific books, and not from Honey Boo-Boo.  

Neven Humphrey,
Gatineau