Rep. Curtis Oda, a Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives, says he wants “to protect people from getting in trouble for doing the right thing.” And the “right thing” according to Oda is killing feral animals. Oda does not think that feral animals should be protected by a law that makes cruelty to animals a felony. He feels that feral animals can pose health risks.
Oda is chief sponsor of House Bill 210 that would change the current law in order to allow the humane killing of feral animals. Two of the killing methods that Oda considers to be humane are clubbing and decapitation.
Animal advocate Ann Davis believes that lethal injection is the only humane way to put down animals. Davis has concerns about the bill’s ramifications. “How do you differentiate a feral cat from somebody’s beloved pet? Most often you don’t put a collar on a cat.” Davis fears that if the bill is passed into law, it might open up the floodgates to the mass killings of animals.
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From The Colbert Report (1/26/2011): Mr. Smith Goes to the State Legislature Then Later Possibly Washington—Curtis Oda
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