I disagree with June Wetsch who thinks the Gazette shouldn't have printed the photo of the young moose, unfortunately killed because it wandered into St. Albert (Gazette letters, Dec. 2). Such photos are exactly what are needed if we are to address the carnage brought about by our unconscious and self-serving actions as a society.
In fact it would be best if we could see the photo of every moose killed in St. Albert — including those run over by automobiles on the city's ill-conceived Ray Gibbon Drive — splashed across the front page of the Gazette.
Moose have lived in this area far longer than any one of us comfortably ensconced here in our mammoth houses on sprawling lots. When the people who founded St. Albert first arrived in the late 1800s, they found moose living here.
Unfortunately today's city administration, along with our elected representatives, continue to rubber stamp developer expansions such as the one in South Riel that have destroyed acres of prime moose habitat with little or no thought given to other species that have lived here through time. As a result, local moose populations are increasingly being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas. So when moose wander into town and need to be shot, we should be less concerned with appearances and more concerned with the reason for what happened.
The impact of the photo on the front page of the Gazette was far greater than it would have been had the story appeared sans photo on the back pages. We need to drag such stories into the light of day for discussion, that we may look the problem in the eye and generate the public interest necessary to address it.
It's inevitable. If urban sprawl in St. Albert continues as it has to date, with no concern for other species that live here, moose in this area will eventually be eliminated. The discussion we should be having as a community is whether or not we find such deliberate extirpation acceptable.
Dave Burkhart, St. Albert
