Illinois Legislation H 4632 Proposes to Opens a Trapping Season on Otters and Bobcats
this petitions position: Oppose
bill description: If passed, this bill would initiate a trapping season on river otters and bobcats in Illinois
Action: This petition will be presented to Governor Rod Blagojovech. Please also write your state Representative, if you live in Illinois. Please urge her/him to oppose HB4632. Talking/writing points include the fact that steel-jawed leghold traps and Conibear traps are cruel, antiquated and kill/maim arbitrarily. These traps are not species-selective . The trapped animal sufffers enormously and may die slowly of starvation, dehydration or predation from other animals. River otters and bobcats populations are naturally controlled by available habitat and food. Lethal control, can result in actually increasing the numbers of these creatures by the decreased competition for habitat and food. Otters were completely trapped out earlier in this century and were actually reintroduced to Illinois.Illinois DNR embarked on the otters%u2019 successful recovery in 1994, when biologists began releasing otters captured in Louisiana, where they are plentiful, to develop strong populations along the Kaskaskia, Wabash and Illinois river basins. River otters are important to the ecosystem for many reasons; the following are just a few:
- River otters are a top predator and play a key role in the food chain in many riverine environments.
- River otters are good indicators of environment health, because they are especially susceptible to habitat changes and human disturbance.
- Since river otters primarily consume resident fish, they provide an excellent indication of water quality, particularly accumulations of toxic contaminants in the lower levels of the food chain.
We the undersigned oppose Illinois bill HB 4632
We believe that otters and bobcats deserve to live free and unmolested by people.
