Murder in an Alaskan Forest

Murder in an Alaskan Forest

By Walter Brasch

Created Apr 2 2008 - 6:46pm

No one--at least no human--knows his name, or even if he had a name.

We don't know where or when he was born. We know nothing about his life.

But we know a lot about his death. A politician/trapper from northeast

Pennsylvania went to Alaska and killed him. We know this because the local

newspaper opened almost a full page to tell us about the glorious hunt.

The story included two pictures. One three-column picture showed Mighty

Trapper, smiling and in heavy cold winter clothing, holding the dead lynx by

his back legs, his life cut short by at least 10 years. The other picture

showed Mighty and his brother, a biologist with Alaska's Fish and Game

Department, each holding a dead lynx. One of the animals appears to be a

young female, possibly not even past puberty.

The article tells us that the politician/trapper, who began trapping and

killing animals while in elementary school, went to Alaska to "live a

lifetime dream of running a trap line in the Alaska interior." He said he

hoped his lines would ensnare not only lynx, but wolves and wolverines as

well. However, traps are indiscriminate devices that not only capture their

intended victim, but also other animals as well, including dogs and cats if

they're in the area. He didn't get wolves or wolverine, and only killed one

mink. "My first thought," he remembers, "was we should be able to catch

dozens every day." Unfortunately for the trapper, the mink traveled beneath

the snow and ice.

The average Canadian lynx (Lynx Canadensis), a close relative to the bobcat,

weighs 18 to 30 pounds, has acute sight and hearing, has long legs and large

furry feet but can't run fast except for short distances, and survives

primarily on a diet of snowshoe rabbits. Their only major predator is the

human.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the Canadian lynx as "threatened

species" in the 48 contiguous states; the Humane Society of the United

States is pursuing litigation to change the status to "endangered." The

primary habitat of the lynx is the boreal forests of Montana, Idaho,

Washington, Wyoming, with a presence also in New England, Minnesota, Utah,

and Colorado. But, Alaska allows unlimited killing during a three to five

month season, depending upon region, beginning about Nov. 1 each year, and

Mighty Trapper was there to kill lynx. "The state says to capture as many as

you can," he told others after returning to his home.

"Trapping is the greatest sport there is," this politician told the outdoors

reporter, and pointed out, "I'm so very proud to be a part of this real

American heritage." When not serving as one of three county commissioners,

he works every morning for several months a year killing muskrats, raccoons,

fox and, reports the newspaper, "other fur bearing animals." He often jokes

around--with individuals and in public meetings--that he's a member of PETA.

Not the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but People Eating Tasty

Animals. It gets a laugh, and lets everyone know what he thinks of animal

rights organizations.

As "thrilling" as setting lines and killing lynx may be to some people, it

isn't all that difficult. "Because they're curious, not as wary of humans,

lynx are one of the easier animals to trap," says Doug Larsen, director of

wildlife conservation for the Alaska Fish and Game Department.

A trap line, which may extend several miles, usually consists of dozens of

individual traps. The snare wire trap relies upon an animal walking into a

wire noose and being strangled by its own forward motion; a steel jaw trap

clamps down on an animal's leg; the conibear trap is a body trap. Mighty

Trapper used a few snare traps and a couple of dozen coil spring traps.

"Most animals suffer from a few hours to a few days," says Pierre Grzybowski

of the Humane Society of the United States. The animals often die from

hypothermia, strangulation, shock, or from inability to flee predators.

Although several trapper codes of ethics suggest that traps be checked

regularly, and several states require trappers to check their lines daily,

Alaska has no such requirement. Animals that are still alive, even if only

barely at the time trappers return, are killed by being choked, clubbed, or

shot in the head. The carcasses are often thrown out as trash, the fur

usually sent to auction houses.

In the March 2008 auctions, the two largest fur auction houses sold about

5,000 lynx pelts, each for about $300. The pelts of most other animals sold

for under $40 each, many for under $10 each. The house takes a 9-11 percent

commission. Although prices were higher this year because of extraordinarily

cold weather in northern China and Russia, thus causing fewer animals to be

killed, "Only a tiny minority trap full-time and can make money from it,"

says Grzybowski. The money most trappers receive from auction "barely covers

the cost of gasoline and the cost of traps." Most trappers, says Grzybowski,

"do it solely for the recreation, and nothing else."

About 40 percent of the 500 bidders at the North American Fur Auctions sale

were from China, according to data provided by NAFA, one of the two houses.

Most of the other bidders came from Russia, Greece, and Turkey. But, the

coats don't stay in those countries; they are designed, sewn, and shipped

into the United States and other countries where the rich can parade their

affluence.

The fashion industry is what drives the trapping and sale of fur. Faux fur,

synthetic fur, looks almost exactly like real fur, is just as warm as real

fur--and is significantly cheaper. One or two lynx pelts are necessary for a

coat trimmed in fur. Full-length lynx coats, which might be made from as

many as 15 pelts, sell for $7,500-$20,000; a few sell for as much as

$50,000. Jackets sell for about $5,000. Although most trappers are men,

women are the primary buyers of fur-trimmed and full fur coats. "It's a

status thing," says Grzybowski, "they want to wear real fur. They want to

show off."

A Saks Fifth Avenue full-color catalogue in October 2007 told its customers,

"This season, fur takes on so many imaginative shapes--Discover it all at

the Saks Fur Salon." One of those shapes at the Salon was an $8,000 woman's

jacket "with brightener-added lynx trim," available for a sale price of

$5,600. Among other chain stores that sell real fur are Burlington Coat

Factory, Dillard's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstrom.

Lynx hats, jackets, and other clothing items regularly appear on amazon.com,

eBay, and dozens of on-line stores. However, more than 100 major designers

and chain stores--including Calvin Klein, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph

Lauren, Lands' End, J. Crew, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, and Gap--refuse to

work with or distribute real fur.

Mighty Trapper says he plans to return to Alaska in two years when both the

rabbit and lynx population are expected to be at a 30 year peak. But, the

increased population of the lynx and the possibility that the fashion

industry may find other animals to exploit will probably lead to lower

prices at the March auctions. It may not matter, anyhow. Mighty didn't even

sell the pelts. He had two of them tanned, and the other one, the one of the

largest lynx, sent to his home, eventually to be stuffed and mounted--a

trophy of a murder.

As for the newspaper? If Mighty returns to Alaska, it'll probably run

another story and picture of him and an animal he killed. Almost every day

during the Christmas season, the newspaper prints several pictures of

orange-clad hunters and their deer and black bear. During other times,

there's likely to be pictures of hunters and almost every fur-bearing animal

in the region, including bobcats and coyotes, neither of which is edible,

neither of which threatens humans. The editor's attitude to those readers

who complain in this highly religious rural area where boys and girls grow

up with guns and legally begin killing animals at the age of 12 is, "If you

don't like it, turn the page."

Perhaps some day Americans, including the politician/trapper who claims to

be religious, will turn the page on violence and actually follow the Sixth

Commandment, "You shall not murder."

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their

spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their

government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are

suffering deeply in spirit,

and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public

debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have

patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning

back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at

stake."

-Thomas Jefferson