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Show Qlogjs Are Man's constantly spreading sphere of influence arxl ' associated components of his varying lifestyles bnnp-domestic bnnp-domestic world and the world of wildlife into & frequent proximity with each passing year. THE NEED for more housing, more room, pro-- . and development moves the perimeters of civilm deeper into the forest, steadily toward the desert w. r and higher up the mountainside on a daily basis. ' As the deer move down from their summer n; ' high on the mountains in search of winter food. the '- a new housing development complete with smci " fireplace chimneys, concrete driveways, picture dows, children anddogs. j (L PUTTING ASIDE the important question of mr, ; wildlife habitat, consider the problem of man's i friend and the local deer population. As the winter !r r ing grounds of the deer become closer to lowru t. farms; dogs - both stray dogs and pedigree pets - n inevitably catch the deer scent, follow natural inst.:-n and curiosity, and give chase. k What may surprise many town dwellers is the fan a sizable proportion of these dogs that give chawr quite capable of catching, pulling down and kill.-, deer. WITHOUT A certain degree of public awareness i'1 some form of control, many deer can be lost to pre& v by what we view as nothing more than a family pr t for a romp. f In 1973, there was an act amending section 18-1-3 of Utah Code Annotated 1953; providing for the protects -any species of hoofed, protected wildlife against attaa. chase by dogs. It reads: "Any person may kill i while it is attacking, chasing or worrying any doir.M animal having a commercial value, or any specif hoofed protected wildlife, while attacking dome fowls, or while such dog is being pursued thereafter BY NO stretch of the imagination is it desirable fo enforcement officers to have to shoot dogs because ' t' are chasing wildlife. Unless some other possible ty interception can be made, however, they have no T-native. T-native. r- Being aware of your dog's activities is the first sir; i ( solving this problem. The public can also heir reporting any situations concerning dogs chasing dft other protected wildlife and valuable domestic an!" n to local conservation officers or law enforcer tr authorities. 1 YOU'VE HEARD that "every little bit helps," ,n true. t. |