Posted on 07/30/2011 6:37:18 PM PDT by Renfield
Cops have busted a group of oddball poachers in Prospect Park — a band of vagrants that was trapping and eating ducks, squirrels and pigeons.
Parks officers wrote four tickets — two for killing wildlife and two for illegal fishing — totaling $2,100 in fines during a two-day period last week. BoroDeal
The city would not immediately release details of the incidents, which occurred on July 17 and 18 — just days after park-goers told rangers about a “Beverly Hillbillies”-like scene on the southeast side of the lake, near the ice skating rink.
“This is a dodgy group,” said park-goer Peter Colon, who spotted one of the men catching a pigeon while his friend started a fire. “They are the most threatening people in the park.”
The disheveled — and possibly homeless — tribe in question uses “makeshift” fishing poles and traps to catch the critters, then grills them over the fire, according to park watchdogs.
“One woman uses a net to bag the ducks,” said wildlife advocate Johanna Clearfield.
Wildlife advocates have long pushed the Parks Department to crackdown on illegal hunting and fishing in Prospect Park — especially after a stunning array of cases in which geese and cygnets were injured by illegal barbed fishhooks and lure.
In the most-dramatic case, a plucky little goose who lost the top half of his beak to a fishhook earned him endless sympathy and the nickname, “Beaky.”
The fishing and hunting ticket blitz comes while park-goers collect and document large mounds of fishing wire, claiming waterfowl are frequently get tangled.
And it’s not the first time that poachers have been busted. Last year, park-goers confronted a man after spotting him catching fish and secreting them into a bag — a violation of the city’s “catch-and-release” rules.
After being confronted, the man dumped the dead fish back into the lake.
The new poaching busts bring to mind last year’s wave of animal murders by the so-called “Butcher of Prospect Park,” whose death toll included waterfowl, chickens, turtles and a goat.
For now, wildlife advocates were hailing this month’s busts.
“The fact that they’re ticketing is great — it’s so badly needed,” said goose lover Mary Beth Artz. “I hope they keep it up.”
A relative has a vacation condo in Delaware near Rehoboth beach. A Chinese guy there has some crab traps out. No one else does, they are too stuck up to do it or don’t know how.
I’ll remember that when I have a chicken salad this week thanks.
But isn’t this infringing on these peoples
Right to Eat? They aren’t asking for a hand out
just a handline. The city could get them to
teach survival poaching.
Go Ragnar!
A steely eyed goose killer if I ever saw one.
What good does it do to ticket a homeless geek?
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Makes sense in the Liberal line of thought.
You ticket them, they can’t pay, they get locked up and their meals are taken care of for the period of incarceration.
Reminds me a few years back a ‘reformed’ druggie in DC, had gotten clean and went straight (probably politics).
Whattever he did, he became successful enough where he was starting to outfit the homeless with shoe shine kits so they could start off in business for themselves.
He would supply the kit (FOR FREE) and all the person had to do was shine shoes, keep the money and restock it himself.
The Council decided that this was not a good plan as it was demeaning to the homeless/jobless.
Put it was not demeaning to stand on a corner in the rain with an empty cup and panhandle.
I love the liberal train of thought (or lack of it).
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