Removal of goats from the Olympics has begun for the second time, because we’re not certain goats are native to the area.
I don’t believe the fatal goring of a man weighed into the decision.
It certainly didn’t the first time.
If we cared about humans, we wouldn’t have devastated the West Coast timber industry over spotted owls.
We wouldn’t promote the expansion of bears, wolves, lions, sharks, etc., into populated areas.
Nor would we tolerate killing our unborn children for convenience sake.
It’s hard to believe the beautiful goats have to go.
This same mindset allows our steelhead and salmon runs to die.
The notion that fish DNA must be kept unique to each river keeps them on threatened and endangered lists, largely because we cannot supplement these runs with quality hatchery fish.
Despite recent innovative hatchery successes and more than a century of wildly successful experience supplementing native runs, “purists” file lawsuits against any hatchery programs.
How can you keep genetics unique to a river when a small percentage of anadromous fish always stray to rivers other than where they were born?
Just maybe, the genetic mixing keeps the fish stronger and healthier.
I don’t desire extinction for any species.
I do, however, believe that good stewardship should allow managing a healthy and commonsense balance in nature, with emphasis on human needs and safety and on the preservation of the more desirable fish, game and mammals.
It seems our nation has adopted a worship of the creation rather than the creator.
Darryl Sanford,
Sequim