8 ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
mind. The key problem is the defeat of apathy which is the biggest enemy 
today of effective law enforcement. 
If you can identify an offender and are willing to testify against that 
offender, you may place yourself in some jeopardy, I think this is a risk 
that every good citizen must take if we are to prevent the increasing 
number of offenses against public order. Every person who subscribes to 
this publication has in their recent lifetime observed a serious vandalism 
offense in a park, has seen a poaching offense being committed, or has 
even been with a party of persons who have committed offenses. It takes 
a great deal of courage to become involved in the prosecution of such 
individuals and I am certain that if it is a friend it is even more difficult. 
However, I wonder if you consider how really important a friendship is 
when it involves a person who has no respect for the rights of other 
individuals. This certainly cannot be a friend of you or of conservation. 
How do you feel about morality? How do you feel about apathy? How do 
you feel about conservation? How far are you willing to go as an 
individual to become involved? There are thousands of instances on 
record in law enforcement agencies throughout this country where 
persons have witnessed crimes being committed, have identified the 
offender, and refused to prosecute due to fear, friendship, or apathy. 
We are afflicted with a desire to be left alone and not to become 
involved in any thing which might take time from work for court 
appearances or might take time from our recreational activities. The 
question is, do we maintain and sustain our wildlife in the state of Illinois 
or are our children possibly, and for certain our grandchildren, going to 
see white-tailed deer, raccoons, opossum, rabbits, and even pheasant 
behind bars in a zoo tomorrow because of our apathy today. Because as 
surely as the sun rises in the east tomorrow morning and as surely as you 
read these words with two more generations of the abuse we have 
witnessed in the last generation will most certainly result in the extinc- 
tion of the wildlife that we are sworn to protect. 
The message is this, it is not only up to law enforcement, to the 
prosecution, to the courts, or to any other agency. The successful 
apprehension and prosecution of offenders depends on the active assis- 
tance of an aroused public. Are you willing to fight the disease of apathy 
and are you willing to conquer it? I think this question is best answered 
not by words but your conscience and ultimately by your actions. We 
hope we can count on you. If you need us, call us now at 217/782-6431. 
We're open every day. 
(This article first appeared in Illinois Wildlife) 
