HELP STOP DOG "CULLS" IN NORTHERN CANADA

Dear Mayor Lucassie Inukpuk and Chief Losty Mamianskum:We the undersigned understand that the tradition in your community is to "cull" stray dogs by shooting them and taking their bodies to the town dump.  We understand that this has been the way the community has handled a perceived problem for a long time.We believe the time has come for this tradition to change because there are now humane ways to deal with stray dogs without resorting to violence and brutality.  We also believe that such violence brutalizes the whole community and gives a bad name to cultures that have historically claimed to respect nature and the wilderness. An incident that occurred recently during the current "cull" is clearly an example of the sort of senseless violence that dishonours the entire  community.  A puppy wearing a collar (a sign that it was someone's pet) was pulled out of its yard, brutally hit with a sledge hammer, thrown still alive and suffering into the back of a truck, and taken to the town dump by a person or persons involved in the "cull." This incident was witnessed by a young boy with Asperger's syndrome and by his father as well as by other residents.  They were all shocked and traumatized, especially the child.  We cannot believe that this incident reflects native tradition nor does it in any way do credit to any native heritage or any human community.We, the undersigned, therefore, would respectfully request that you, Mr. Mayor, and you, Chief Mamianskum, take immediate action to prevent such acts of blatant animal cruelty from occurring again.  Please suspend the dog cull until it is possible for a team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare to visit this community to spay and neuter stray (and pet) animals and discuss humane means and methods of dealing with stray animals.Please note that a number of the undersigned will be donating funds to the IFAW specifically for this purpose and encouraging them to send a team as soon as possible.Sincerely,The Undersigned