Kensing stands over juvenile native bobcat shot from helicopter, contradicting the baseball players claim of managing exotic feral hogs
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On February 21, 2008 a 60-Second Interview with Marlin's pitcher Logan Kensing was printed in the Palm Beach Post (PBP) newspaper. When asked what was the most interesting thing he did during off-season, Kensing replied "shot pigs out of a helicopter" on his ranch in Texas. He also stated "you can shoot bobcats, wild dogs, coyotes, pigs. Anything that's native". He also stated "The pilot's pretty good. He gets right next to them. We spot them, he flies in sideways, glides and we shoot them". His tone appeared to take sadistic pleasure in telling of how he killed animals from the helicopter. When asked how the helicopter experience would make him a better pitcher, he responded "It makes me know I want one, so I need to make more money".
Upon reading this, a local environmental group, Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) considered that this was very troubling and did not present a good role model for children and youth who traditionally look up to sports figures as it appeared to sanction thrill-killing of animals in an unsportsmanlike manner. It did not portray an attitude and sensitivity toward animals that was healthy. One does not have to look far to see voluminous research that shows a direct relationship between animal cruelty/abuse with other forms of violent crime and abuse.
A letter was sent to the Florida Marlins General Manager Michael Hill and Owner Jeffrey Loria by a co-chair of PBCEC, expressing these concerns and requesting them not to sanction animal cruelty and to reprimand him. The Marlins officials did not respond in any way that indicated they disagreed with what Kensing was doing. Kensing himself was unapologetic for his actions and stated "It doesn't bother me. They can come at me if they want to".
In subsequent statements Kensing appeared to backpedal and to attempt some whitewashing of his helicopter killing adventures. His statements focused on how he was protecting his land from marauding non-native wild pigs. But a picture of him in a subsequent article in ESPN.com dated March 31, 2008 showed him holding the ear of a bobcat killed from the helicopter. This article and a follow-up article in the PBP dated April 17, 2008 resulted in an onslaught of hatemail against PBCEC and the "animal rights wackos" (one of the milder terms used) who dared to criticize Kensing's behavior. One writer went so far as to state that he was thusly "inspired" by PBCEC's criticism of Kensing to go out and kill a yearling coyote pup. The writer even sent a picture of the killed pup , whose "eyes literally popped out of his sockets" in the words of the killer, to PBCEC. His 7-year-old son was also in the picture, holding the ear of the dead coyote yearling pup.
Unfortunately this attitude of disrespect for and wanton killing of animals and the horrible message it sends to children is all too prevalent in our society, perpetuating the tragedy and travesty. We ask for your support and urge you to contact the General Manager and Owner of the Florida Marlins to express your horror and outrage at the behavior and publicized attitude of their pitcher Logan Kensing and their apparent sanctioning of and acquiescense to that behavior. Kensing can also be reached through the address below to let him know what you think of him and his actions. Thank you for your help.
Marie Zwicker, member PBCEC
Please send comments to:
Jeffrey Loria, Owner and
Michael Hill, General Manager
The Florida Marlins
Dolphins Stadium
2267 N.W. 199th Avenue
Miami, FL 33056
1 comment:
Hogs' effects on the ecosystem in Texas are multifold. Some of their distinctions include the following:
They eat anything and everything, and on a ranch where the goal is to nurture game animals, that has serious consequences. They eat corn from feeders. They vacuum up acorns deer and turkey require, and at an intake rate of 3 percent of their body mass daily, a single hog may pound 6 pounds of acorns daily.
They'll eat a fawn, if times are hard, but no animals have it worse than ground birds such as turkey and quail — unless, perhaps, it's the sea turtles whose nests they turn up and devour along the Texas coast.
"Ecologically speaking, native animals have not evolved having to avoid feral hogs," said Dale Prochaska, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department whose expertise Lang occasionally seeks. "Hogs were not part of this system originally. For humans to have introduced them, basically that's a huge problem."
In west Texas, they're so prolific, said Bodenchuk, they sustain mountain lions who otherwise might die or disperse. Those lions in turn add pressure to deer populations, further throwing the natural balance out of whack.
They carry diseases such as leptospirosis and brucellosis, making them unsafe around livestock and even for humans to handle without protection, and their waste contains E. coli. Three Texas watersheds are approaching EPA minimum levels of that bacteria strictly because of hog pollution, Bodenchuk said.
They're physically destructive, ravaging fences and corn feeders, and churning up the ground.
"They just root up acres and acres and acres," said Kerry Cornelius, the director of the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth. "If you have to go in and farm that, then, it's extremely rough. It tears up equipment. You could equate it to someone ransacking your house. They didn't take anything, but you have to pay to clean it up."
you people are a bunch of fucking retards. take your liberal, hippy bullshit somewhere else. he hunts these pigs in order to control the population because they can harm the ecosystem if there numbers get out of control. they can also do damage to the land and the cattle on the land. you all dont have the slightest fucking clue about what you are talking about so maybe next time you should do some research about the subject before you go comparing him to michael vick. fucking assholes.
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