Some states have laws that protect non-game animals from being killed. It would be interesting to investigate the state this was filmed in and see if bats are protected and if so, whether he had the necessary permits to kill them. Having him arrested for destruction of wildlife would be interesting. Maybe he could do a segment of Man verses Wild from a jail cell and then see who is the predator and who is the prey.
G -----Original Message----- From: Dave H. Crusoe [mailto:dhcru...@projectkir.org] Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 11:05 AM To: Charles Goldsmith; Cavetex Subject: Re: [Texascavers] FW: Man vs. Wild: Man vs. Bats Charles, At your suggestion, I wrote the following to PETA's info line ( http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/onlinecruelty.asp ); not sure what they might do, but perhaps help mobilize the twitterati? (As I'm sure others have done, I've also fwd'd to the local grottos). ------------------------ Greetings, I'm writing to represent a growing outcry (see e-mail from Bat Conservation International below) over the televised killing of Bats perpetrated by the star of Man vs. Wild, and available through YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYAoAdY6UMA). Please let us know if there is a way you might spread additional word over the outcry, beyond mobilizing our own communities (we cavers are a relatively small community, nationally, which the number of people interested in this issue is likely to be much larger); our hope is to pressure the Discovery Channel to issue an apology and/or correction and, more importantly, not promote or depict similar obscene cruelty in the future. On May 28, 2010, at 11:50 AM, Charles Goldsmith wrote: > Is there any type of legal aspect of this that could put pressure on > them? Cruelty to animals comes to mind. Also, anyone have a > contact at PETA, as bad as I hate that organization for it's antics, > they have a large voice. > > Charles > > On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 8:53 AM, <mark.al...@l-3com.com> wrote: > Just watched the video. > > > You can supply your own adjective, but, IMHO "appalling", > "irresponsible", "reprehensible" are good starts. > > What is most disturbing is the unabashed glee this moron displays > while using these bats for badminton practice. > > He doesn't even try to make it "acceptable" by eating what he kills. > > > I stopped watching this douche years ago and this confirms the fact > that I will never watch him again. > > > > Mark > > > > > > > From: Geary Schindel [mailto:gschin...@edwardsaquifer.org] > Sent: Fri 5/28/2010 7:51 AM > To: texascavers@texascavers.com > Subject: [Texascavers] FW: Man vs. Wild: Man vs. Bats > > Graham Schindel sent me this. > > > Geary > > > Not sure if this has gone through Cave Tex but it should. > > Cavers, > > Here is a note sent out from BCI about a bat killing video. As if > WNS isn't enough... > > --------------------- > > A recent episode of Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild featured Bear > Grylls gleefully killing bats with a homemade club. The clip, which > shows Grylls throwing a flame in a cave to "smoke out" the bats, > swatting them to the ground and then stomping on them, has aired > internationally and been posted on YouTube, allowing for continued > access. > > Though we understand the show is about survival, we feel that this > clip perpetuates negative attitudes toward bats and could generate > senseless copycat activity and/or the type of vandalism that is > driving many bat species to the brink of extinction. Only four > months ago, a Kentucky man was sentenced to eight months in jail > after pleading guilty to beating to death 105 endangered Indiana bats. > > Please express your disappointment at this anti-conservation message > by filling out the feedback form on Discovery Communications > website. Let the Discovery executives know: > > * This episode undermines decades of bat conservation efforts > > * Bats are an important part of a healthy ecosystem. They eat > agricultural pests, disperse seeds to replenish the rainforest and > pollinate a variety of plants. Many bats are endangered and the loss > of a single species can have ramifications throughout the ecosystem. > > * Viewers should be informed that killing bats-or even disturbing > them-may be illegal depending on the species and country. > > * We would like Discovery Channel to ensure this edition of Born > Survivor and related footage is not aired again and thatthis footage > is removed from Youtube, the Discovery Channel website and all other > communications > > * We hope Discovery Channel uses all its nature programming to > forward conservation efforts. > > Best regards, > > Nina Fascione > Executive Director > Bat Conservation International > > P.S. Help spread the word. Forward this to a friend. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
