The Fight to Save Ballona Wetlands Foxes
The fight to save the red fox did not begin in the Ballona Wetlands, nor will it end there. The battle to save all “trash animals” slated for official extermination--opossums are next--will continue until the attitude and policies of California Fish and Game are changed.
We have been accused in a lawsuit of making death threats and vandalism. Since these actions were not committed by us, there is no proof of these charges. Nevertheless, they have had the intended scurrilous effect in news reports, commentaries and letters. There is legislation currently in Sacramento to outlaw suits of this nature, which are not meant to win but to discredit, harass and intimidate. The criminal charge against one of our associates for an angry phone call makes a mockery of the legal system.
Do we have to choose one species over another? Is it wrong to have a respect for all life? Had a tenth of the legal efforts, money and political clout expended against us been used to save the animals, not one bird or fox would have to die.
BILL DYER
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