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arbitrage wrote:
I'll chime in with my opinion since I instigated it in the other two threads.
First of all there are a lot of photographers baiting owls out there. Over on BirdPhotographers.net it is pretty much the norm and the photographers that frequent that forum are okay with the practice BUT they have a huge disclaimer that any photographs posted must be disclosed that baiting was used. The use of bait, or captive animal photography should be disclosed with the posting whether it is on here, Facebook or in a gallery showroom.
There is one side of the issue that using bait is taking the skill out of wildlife photography and that side also can be applied to hummingbird feeders, ducks at the park and backyard bird feeders. I think all of those things should be disclosed when posting such shots.
I don't have issue with all types of baiting. I don't have issue with backyard feeders or hummingbird feeders or feeding your cat. Your cat is your pet, you are supposed to feed it. It has been studied and shown that backyard feeders are helpful to the birds and are not overly detrimental (although even then one could argue that attracting them close to windows will lead to more deaths by collisions with said windows).
As to baiting owls....even then I don't have a clear cut stance on it. One argument against is the potential health of a pet store mouse and that they may carry more disease or parasites than a wild one (really I have no idea if that is true or valid so I won't go into that point at all). Others may have more to say on it or more research on it.
The bigger argument and one that I do agree with is the danger to the owl in habituating it to humans. A couple years back there were a bunch of videos online showing the photographers having the owl so habituated it would land on them and would fly back and forth across the road where it was at increased likelihood of being hit by a car. It loses its fear of humans that can put it in danger.
However, in contrast to the above, if we ignore the potential diseased mouse argument, then if one is driving rural Ontario, Quebec or Minnesota roads and finding a random owl where no one else is around and you bait the thing with a couple mice and get a couple nice head on shots. Then you leave that area and don't return, I think that the risk to the owl is negligible and really if you disclosed the fact in your post then I really wouldn't have an issue with it. When I was finding Northern Hawk Owls this year I would drive 200kms along a highway in rural Yukon and eventually spot one or two each outing. I never did bait them and I witnessed two successful wild hunts but I feel that if I did bait one of them on one outing one time and never returned to that same owl day in and day out and considering how remote the area was that it really wouldn't be harmful to the owl. I would disclose the fact that I did what I did when posting my images and that would be that.
When it really gets unethical and out of hand is when multiple groups of photographers are there day after day, constantly baiting an owl or two in the same location. This leads to big problems that I don't think even the bait proponents would deny. The GGO that was subject of that online video a few years back would be a good example of that. Unfortunately the perpetrators pulled that video after it went viral. The even more despicable situation is where photographers use dead mice on a fishing line/rod and don't even allow the owl to get the prey...just constantly waisting energy.
A really good example of where too much gets out of hand is the lady in Homer AK who fed those bald eagles for years. The practice was illegal but the government grandfathered her in until she passed away. The next season after she passed the city was forced to feed the eagles again because 100s were starving without their expected baited food source they had enjoyed for many many years. The following year I believe they did stop the feeding and dealt with the consequences in hope that the eagles would learn not to return. So even after years of supposedly "helping" the eagles through the winter, in the end the practice resulted in the death of many eagles.
I will repost the articles I posted in the snowy owl thread for others to read up on some opinions out there. As I see I was once again censored on this forum which is starting to get ridiculous but I digress. In the end it is an ethical decision one has to make not only towards their own photography but to their own opinion on the effect it has on the owls.
http://www.audubon.org/news/why-you-shouldnt-feed-or-bait-owls
http://www.thebirdingproject.com/blog/ethicsandowls
http://pqspb.org/bpqpoq/owl-baiting-for-fun-and-profit-the-ethics-of-owl-and-raptor-photography/
http://blog.lauraerickson.com/2014/02/baiting-owls.html
...Show more →
The situation in Homer with the Eagle Lady (Jeanne Keene) really had nothing to do with feeding the eagles. It was a political witch hunt by someone who used to work for her. Long, long story but the State of Alaska Wildlife and Fisheries, the Federal equivalent (I forgot the agency's name), etc all OK'd her feeding. Multiple lawsuits against her failed. So Homer's city council made it illegal within city limits, grandfathered her because of her popularity and she died a few years later. Another instance of a few anencephalics ruining a situation for the majority. You can feed eagles outside the Homer city limits and that's where the photo workshops go now. If you want more of the details, let me know in a PM. I was fortunate enough to shoot from her compound multiple times and was present when a lot of the bullspit happened.
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