Maine’s wanton waste law prohibits a person from intentionally leaving “a wild bird or wild animal that has been wounded or killed by that person while hunting.” The only hunted species this does not apply to is coyotes. Maine citizens should ask: What is the rationale for exempting what the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife refers to as a valuable and intelligent species from this wasteful practice? Who decided to exclude coyotes? How do the relatively small number of people who want this exclusion benefit?

L.D. 814, An Act to Strengthen Maine’s Ethical Hunting Tradition, will include coyotes under Maine’s wanton waste law. L.D. 814 will also require the tagging and registration of coyotes that are killed — the same practice that applies to other hunted species. Little is known about Maine’s coyote population and requiring the tagging of coyotes will allow important data to be collected.

Allowing a valuable and intelligent species to be carelessly slaughtered and left anywhere is unjustifiable and creates a social and environmental problem. Why? Aside from being wasteful, who wants their children or pets to find dead coyotes on their land or elsewhere? Lead ammunition is also an issue. Maine allows the use of lead ammunition, which can contaminate coyote carcasses and the environment and/or poison other species that eat the carcasses.

Silence equals compliance, so please tell elected representatives, the Committee on Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to support L.D. 814. While L.D. 814 won’t stop the above from happening, it is the right thing to do.

Tammy Cloutier

Kennebunk