Today, more than five months after California Fish and Game Commission president Dan Richards submitted a photograph of himself bear hugging a mountain lion he had just killed to Western Outdoor News, he was removed as president of the commission. Richards killed the lion during a paid hunt on the Flying B Ranch in Idaho. Mountain lion hunting has been illegal in California since 1972 when then-Governor Ronald Reagan first signed a ban that was to be reviewed every five years. Voters passed Proposition 117 in 1990, making the ban permanent. Animal welfare groups complained that Richards showed contempt for the residents of California by participating in a hunt that would be illegal in the state in which he was president of the commission that oversees such activities. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorIf you have any interest in this story at all, I suggest you read this story by UT San Diego. It goes into a lot of detail that none of the other stories do. Several paragraphs stood out though. Here is the quote: Richards wouldn’t say how much he donated to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to get the commission post, but it’s well-known that commissioners, or their representatives and handlers, must kick in a large sum to get the post. It used to be $50,000, but some believe today it’s as much as $100,000. “I liked Arnold very much,” Richards said. “I supported him and I gave him money to run for Governor.” Asked how much, whether it was five or six figures, Richards would only say, “Let’s say I helped him out.”
by AdministratorIf you don’t want to read the article below, fine. But click on the links in it to Western Outdoor News to read Dan Richard’s letter and see the photo. I wish I could have reprinted them.
by Administrator(Sacramento) – Today Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom joined a growing list of officials and animal welfare activists condemning California Fish and Game Commission president Dan Richards’ killing of a mountain lion. Richards killed the lion during a paid hunt on the Flying B Ranch in Idaho. Mountain lion hunting has been illegal in California since 1972 when then-Governor Ronald Reagan first signed a ban that was to be reviewed every five years. Voters passed Proposition 117 in 1990, making the ban permanent. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by Administrator(San Bernardino) – California legislators are calling for the resignation of Dan Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, after a photo of him holding a mountain lion he killed went viral. The mountain lion was killed during a hunt on the Flying B Rancho in Idaho, where, unlike California, mountain lion hunting is legal. The photo shows Richards holding the dead lion in a bear hug and with a big grin on his face. Due to copyright constraints, the photo cannot be shown here, but can be found in the original article on the Western Outdoors News site here. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorThis is so not cool. Why do we have trophy hunters on the Fish and Game Commission. That seems like a conflict of interest. He needs to go from an “uncharged co-conspirator” to a “charged co-conspirator.” From SFGate: Warning: Photo may disturb some readers; photo of lion trophy sparks debate over legal hunting Share 96 Fish and Game Commission President Dan Richards with mountain lion he shot after grueling hunt in Idaho The divide between those who live in rural areas and those from cities ruptured wide this past weekend across America in a debate over a provocative photo of California Fish and Game Commission President Dan Richards and a huge mountain lion he shot legally after an 8-hour hunt in Idaho. Some comments on Facebook suggest that Richards should be the one hunted and shot, that he should be jailed, that is unethical to shoot anything you do not eat, and hunting of any kind is barbaric. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by Administrator