PETA Asks Mauled Teen to Hang Up Her Hunting Gear

Bears, Deer, and Other Living Beings Value Their Lives, Too, Group Says

For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

This morning, PETA sent a letter to Camille Bomboy—the 18-year-old hunter who narrowly survived an attack by a mother bear during a recent hunting excursion in Clinton County—urging her to reconsider her public declaration that the incident “will not stop [her] from hunting.” As PETA points out, animals form intense bonds with their children just as humans do and will risk their own lives to protect them just as humans will, and all living beings suffer whenever hunters shoot them and leave them to die.

“No one should have to experience the pain and fear of being under attack simply for being in the woods,” says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. “PETA wishes Ms. Bomboy a speedy recovery and prays for a change of heart and hobbies for her and her family—nonviolent activities such as nature appreciation and protection, bird-watching, hiking, or photography.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Camille Bomboy follows.

December 13, 2013

Dear Ms. Bomboy,

I am writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters, including thousands across Pennsylvania, to send our best wishes for your speedy recovery and ask you to take a few moments to reflect on this incident. This seems to be a good opportunity to put yourself in the place of the individuals you and the rest of your hunting party were trying to kill. As terrifying as it must have been to be attacked by a bear, please consider the frightening and painful experiences that hunters set out to impose upon animals. There used to be a bumper sticker that read, “I support the right to arm bears!” That was a joke, but in all seriousness, it would be a blessing if you were to abandon hunting and decide to live and let live.

As this mother bear demonstrated, animals form intense bonds with their young, just as we do, and will go to great lengths to protect them, just as your stepfather did for you. Like us, animals value their lives and don’t want to be killed. And many animals endure prolonged, painful deaths when they’re injured by hunters but not killed outright, which I’m sure you know firsthand from being in the woods. A study of 80 radio-collared deer found that of the 22 deer who had been shot with “traditional archery equipment,” 11 were wounded but not recovered.

Now that you’ve experienced the horror of an attack—although this one was in self-defense—we hope you will choose to enjoy nature in only nonviolent ways. Thank you for your consideration.

Kind regards,

Alicia Woempner
Special Projects Division Manager