PeLisioeen Us DHE OXNoY B U0 tieis hh oleliN 37 
Public Op iviton: 
great force for conservation 
pulled out of the frontier. It’s simp- 
ly white ibis stewed in rice, similar 
to the pilau or pilaf of Cajun coun- 
try. The practice continued until 
public opinion saw a greater value 
in the artistic flight of the ibis than 
in an ibis stew. 
MOST LAWS protecting wildlife 
are only as good as the general 
thinking of residents of an area. 
Out West, where golden eagles are 
regarded as birds of prey carrying 
off young lambs (mostly folk tales) 
ranchers got away with killing hun- 
dreds from helicopters and light 
planes. Aroused national public 
Opinion resulted in arrests — but 
mild prosecution and light fines 
because the residents of the area 
didn’t regard it as any big crime. 
IF ANYONE started shooting 
bald eagles in Florida, where public 
Opinion is strongly on the side of 
the eagle, the legal roof would 
cave in on him. 
FLORIDA is still lax on enforce- 
ment of its commercial fishing 
laws, largely because the public 
says: “‘Look, it’s a hard life. They’re 
trying to make a living. Why make 
them follow all the fine points of 
net mesh sizes and operation?” 
AFTER a Judge bends backward a 
few times or juries throw out the 
cases, the salt water wardens quit 
bringing charges. It is the way con- 
servation laws work, based on pub- 
lic Opinion. 
IN SOME rural county, where 
deer jack-lighting has been a way 
of life for generations, few county 
judges or juries will convict. The 
same is true of alligator poaching. 
We apparently get the wildlife con- 
servation that our people want. 
WE ARE, at last, a solid force 
against shooting songbirds for the 
table, still a common practice in 
parts of Europe. 
