The Irony of Extremists’ Morally Questionable Actions

Animal rights extremists spend a lot of time and effort online and elsewhere reprimanding hunters (who give the vast majority of money, time and effort toward wildlife conservation in the first place) for being “cruel”—often accusing us of psychopathy and a lack of morals. So as a contributor to this website, as food for thought, I wanted to share a sampling of some morally questionable moves made by animal rights extremists that have made news headlines over the past year alone. 

1. PETA Traumatizes Kids with Barbecued Dog
As you likely read in January, a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group in Sydney, Australia, came under fire for grilling a prop dog to scare small children… all in the name of making a point to promote veganism. Such outrageous and shameless self-promotion and headline-begging stunts are becoming commonplace for PETA activists. (Remember back in 2017 when PETA was busted for that fake, computer-generated cat-abuse video it circulated to push the public to shut down the use of animals in circuses and zoos?)

2. Anti-Hunters Issue Death Threats to Hunters
In September 2018, the NRA mobilized against escalating social media death threats against yet two more law-abiding, all-American hunters despite that hunting is a legal, regulated activity. Under attack were former NHL hockey player Tim Brent, who was condemned on Twitter for posting an image from his successful Yukon grizzly bear hunt, and Brittany Longoria, whose life was threatened because of a photo of her with a leopard that she hunted legally in Africa. Oh, the irony as animal rights extremists condemned human beings for hunting animals while threatening their lives.

3. Animal Rights Activists Vow to “Hunt Hunters” in New Jersey
Anti-hunting extremists with the BEAR Group in New Jersey threatened violence last fall against hunters for pursuing a safe, legal, ethical and scientifically-backed bear hunt. Denouncing the violent threats, state hunting groups issued a press release pointing to how animal rights extremists threatened hunters saying, "They need to get shot."

4. Animal Rights Charity Is Accused of Killing Dogs
An animal rights charity in South Korea is under fire for killing animals. The group, called Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), claims to have a “no kill” policy, but was busted while killing 230 dogs to make space to care for more, according to a report from Humane Watch (HumaneWatch.org) in January. CARE kills roughly 25 percent of the animals it takes in, but, according to the same report, in many years PETA here in the United States kills 90 percent of its intake animals. Strange track record for an organization that calls hunting “cruel.”

5. Anti-Hunters Lie, Claim Hunters Are Trapping Bears in Basements!
Okay, this one is actually funny. Anti-hunters really said this—and stuck by it. In October, Brian Hackett, the state HSUS director in New Jersey, stood shoulder to shoulder with state-level anti-hunting extremists when the claim was made that hunters were trapping black bears (which can top 800-plus pounds) for months, keeping them alive so that they could then shoot them in the basement during the legal hunting season. And if they believe that, in the words of country music star George Strait, “I have some oceanfront property in Arizona” to sell them.

About the Author
Cody McLaughlin is a noted conservationist and conservative thought leader on public policy issues including hunting, fishing, gun rights, free-market tax and wage policy and the environment. He works as a GOP consultant for conservative political causes, managing clients’ digital communications and online presence and as a trustee of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, helping to represent the state’s 1.2 million sportsmen in the political arena. 

Follow NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum on Twitter @HuntersLead.