Another victim of a sadistic hobby makes a recovery, but she’s the exception not the rule.
- by Alicia Graef | September 3, 2015
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] mother deer who suffered for more than nine months with a bowhunter’s arrow lodged in her face has finally gotten help, thanks to the efforts of thousands upon thousands of caring people from around the world who signed a Care2 petition launched on her behalf.
The doe, who has been named Grace, was first spotted late last year in Marlboro, New Jersey, bearing an arrow that was presumably intended to end her life. Like many others who aren’t killed by bowhunters, she was callously left to suffer with a tragic injury.
Not only has she miraculously managed to survive, eating and navigating her environment without getting caught on anything, but she also gave birth to a fawn earlier this spring.
Even though wildlife officials had known about her since at least December 2014 the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement that they tried unsuccessfully to help her over the winter and put efforts on hold in May after she became pregnant over concerns intervention could harm her fawn.
Thankfully, her advocates kept the pressure on to help her. After Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) shared a video of Grace earlier this spring, her story took off.
A Care2 petition started on her behalf urging officials to uphold their promise to help her has gathered more than 106,000 signatures from supporters around the world and has been shared by major news outlets including USA Today, CBS and NBC.
This week their efforts to give Grace a voice paid off when wildlife officials finally located her, tranquilized her and removed the shaft of the arrow. According to a statement, a veterinarian present recommended the arrowhead be left because her wound had healed and removing it could cause further injury.
They said Grace, who is believed to be about three to four years old, was released back into the wild with her fawn and is expected to be fine.
This photo was taken as she recovered from being sedated. Credit: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
This photo was taken as she recovered from being sedated. Credit: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
“We thank all of the New Jersey residents and people from all over the world who have expressed concern about the deer, as well as local residents who have been very helpful in providing information on her movements throughout the community and even set up bait stations on their properties,” said David Chanda, Director of Fish and Wildlife.
Poh Yeh Holmes, who created the petition to help Grace after seeing SHARK’s video on a friend’s Facebook page, told Care2 she is humbled by the number of signatures that came in and is “over the moon” that help finally came for her.
“If something bad happens to us, we can take ourselves to the doctor but sadly, Grace is not able to. She is not able to ask for help either. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to graze on grass or to pick up an acorn, to reach higher up for greenery that she wanted to eat. I thought a petition to help her plight, may help,” she said.
Holmes said Grace’s advocates will now be using the petition to push lawmakers in the area to turn her range in Marlboro into a no-hunting zone to make sure she and the rest of her herd can continue to live in peace.
If you know of an animal in need in your community or elsewhere who could use some advocacy on their behalf like Grace, you can help them by starting a petition.
Editor’s Note
“PLEASE people. Don’t think for one second this was done by any semblance of a legitimate, ethical hunter. This was done by the same lowlife that poaches, litters the woods, disrespects the resource. No where near a true hunter…”
You get the drift.
Their defense argument is usually that such incidents happen because (a) the bowhunter was a moron; (b) was inexperienced; (c) was a “poacher” with no principles, and so on. In other words the old tactic of distancing themselves—the real, “ethical hunters” —from the author of this act (all too common in hunting season).
In any case, alerted to this incident by a Care2 mailing, our assoc ed Branford Perry was quick to follow the trail to the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife Facebook page
Well, as our assoc ed put it, there are no ethical hunters. Here’s his entry on the FB page:
[box] Branford PerrySorry mates. “Ethical (sport) hunter” is an oxymoron, a logical contradiction, like saying an “ethical child molester.” Shooting animals for fun is depraved. I was raised in a part of SW England where hunting (for fun) was common among the rich folks, and also practiced a bit by poor folk when need arose. My family was among those but now I’m 56 so that’s an old time ago.
Fact is the (sport) hunting fraternity is mostly made up of people who simply love guns, are stubborn at not rethinking their attitudes, find plenty reinforcement in fellow hunters and the gun industry propaganda, and love to shoot them—at live targets, which perforce is animals minding their own business.
I know because I love those guns too, and shoot them often. But a long time ago I saw the moral wrong in shooting a helpless creatures under any excuse. Now the firing range or other similar places is the only choice for me. Hunting for food in America in the 21st century is a huge lie. It is deception and self-deception. It is excuses, guys, and you all know it. Quite frankly, as long as our farmers and Big Ag especially, put food on the table easily, by killing billions of animals (that’s another story), and cheaply for the most part, finding food with just a 2-mi trip to the market, going hunting for meat is not a necessity but a CHOICE.
Now I only shoot at non-live targets. It is satisfying and I can go home and look at myself in the mirror. As for shooting at real challenging targets, like the kind of animal who can fight back, and really hurt you, I think that only wars put you in that situation. Those of you who served in the military will know what I mean. Oh, by the way, don’t call an animal “a resource”. Don’t be cowards and hide behind fancy euphemisms, words that make killing nice and neat. Killing is never neat—and certainly not for the victim. Only sociopaths can’t get the meaning of that, and sociopaths are people devoid of any empathy—the first quality in a civilized, Christian person (which I’d like to think I am). “Resource” and “harvesting” are abstract terms created a long time ago by the well-paid whores in the public relations industry and Harvard educated trophy hunters. Such words should only relate to inanimate nature, like fruit harvest, plants, things that grow on trees. You know that. So talk the straight talk and defend it if you must but do it honestly, like real men.[/box]
One last thing: We are happy this ended well and the Wildlife Management people (a stupid dominionist term) did the right thing by this animal, although I am not so sure they would have been so kind and solicitous if Big Media and social media had not put the spotlight on their actions to begin with. Those of you inclined to help Branford with the hunting crowd, and willing to punch on a knife, since this mob will quickly tax your patience, can do so at this location:
NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife
Branford can be reached directly at branford.perry@greanvillepost.com
—PG
Nauseated by the
vile corporate media?
Had enough of their lies, escapism,
omissions and relentless manipulation?
Send a donation to
The Greanville Post–or
But be sure to support YOUR media.
If you don’t, who will?
“I don’t have a lot of hope for most followers of dominion. It seems they just don’t get the real meaning of compassion. No matter how much one rationalizes their crazy logic, or shows them the hole in their argument, they just don’t see it!..” Sharon Azar Looking Beyond Hunting… to end huntingThe Care2 article proclaims success because one deer was rescued from the ravages of hunting. This is success, not for an end to hunting, but for the right to hunt responsibly in a nation guided by dominion.. Branford Perry also misses the mark… While it is admirable that… Read more »