I was amazed to read R.A. Haskell's letter (CHN July 15) reporting no WUNC-TV signal with an antenna and a converter box, because since the great change to digital TV I have been able to get a signal only from WUNC-TV. In the old days I received 18 different channels. I realize many people around here believe change is good; I am not convinced.

S.B. Kent, Carrboro

Racial Justice Act back-door scheme

The so-called North Carolina Racial Justice Act is a back-door scheme to abolish the death penalty for murderers in North Carolina. It makes no difference what race murderer or victim is, murder is murder it is a sin again God and the taking of an innocent life. The majority of General Assembly members are Democrats, they care little about murdered victims and just punishment for murderers.

God makes it clear in His holy word, murderers of His creatures are to be put to death. Ungodly legislators, prosecutors, judges and jurors who refuse to put murderers to death disobey God's command. People sin when they disobey God and He shall hold them accountable and they will have everlasting regret in their after life.

James R. Hardy, Hillsborough

Where was compassion in treating injured fawn?

The July 12 Chapel Hill News featured a disturbing letter about The Piedmont Wildlife Center and a nightmarish article by Bobby Schopler about an injured fawn -- a fawn evidently he did nothing to help either by treating it or putting it down humanely.

It appears the Piedmont Wildlife Center and Schopler are no longer that interested in treating, rehabilitating or humanely euthanizing injured wildlife. Maybe it's the cost of treating animals versus the expense of hefty salaries. Maybe the board would just rather focus on camps for children. That's unfortunate. Because in helping injured wildlife we are really helping ourselves; developing bonds based on compassion and teaching empathy to our children. And in a world fast becoming more impersonal, stressed and sometimes downright mean, it's a way of holding onto our basic humanity.

Obviously we can't save every animal. But in trying to save the ones we find injured we nurture something essential in ourselves. A 2008 Associated Press article ("Who should MDs let die in a pandemic? Report offers answers") stated Homeland Security and other agencies were compiling lists of those to be denied treatment in the case of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. The list includes people over 85, severely burned people over 60, the mentally impaired and even those with chronic illness such as diabetes. As with the fawn, nature would be allowed to "take its course."

We are definitely losing something essential; in showing compassion for injured animals we might have a chance to get it back.

Robin Cutson, Chapel Hill

Veterinarian Bobby Schopler responds:

I understand Ms. Cutson's concern given her interpretation of the article I wrote. However, I want to set the record straight. The reason I have written animal columns in this paper for the past few years is to try to focus the community's attention on helping local wildlife and I hope this response will further my goal.

First, her claim that I and PWC are no longer interested in treating, rehabilitating or humanely euthanizing injured wildlife is wrong and hurtful to me. As I stated in my article, I realigned the fawn's leg and gave her fluids and food. What I did not put in the article was that my 20-plus years of experience in veterinary medicine, most of which have been devoted to wildlife and their treatment, allowed me to assess that this fawn stood very little chance of survival. Rather than immediately euthanizing it, we gave it one more chance with fluid therapy. Rather than grabbing it out of the woods and stressing it and the doe further, we left the fawn in place and monitored her progress. When I wrote that this was not enough to bring her through and nature ended up taking her course, I should have been clearer. My sister and I eventually made the difficult decision to euthanize the fawn in order to prevent its further suffering.

I agree with Ms. Cutson that assisting animals in pain or in need is an essential feature of humanity. As an advocate for animals, I have always felt that I have a responsibility to teach empathy and compassion towards them. Reaching out to help an injured animal is an admirable trait to encourage in human beings and can only improve human relations as well. The hard truth, however, is that it is extremely stressful to an injured wild animal to capture and move it. Even when retrieved by trained volunteer transporters, significant numbers of injured animals who reach a rehabilitation facility must be euthanized.

Secondly, the insinuation that the staff at Piedmont Wildlife Center is overpaid is ridiculous. The board members receive no pay for the hours and hours they put into Piedmont Wildlife Center and our bare-bones and dedicated staff all work for less than they could get paid in the for-profit world.

Piedmont Wildlife Center's mission remains first and foremost to support the native wildlife of North Carolina. Over 90 percent of the animals received at the rehabilitation clinic were brought there because of human actions. Most of those actions are modifiable through changes in behavior and these behaviors can only change through education. Faced with a 50 percent decrease in donations and elimination or reduction of funding from local municipalities, the board was forced to make a decision about how to continue to carry out our mission and stay financially viable. Because of these budget cuts, we believe that we currently stand the best chance of having the greatest impact on native wildlife populations by teaching children, adults, and families to value wildlife and by showing them how to change their actions to prevent wildlife injury and suffering, and to provide better habitat for our wildlife neighbors.

Lastly, though the economic crisis we have gone through over the past year has not been exactly the same as a deadly pandemic, I hope Ms. Cutson can see the parallel that we all have limits and at some point we must make decisions or decisions will be made for us. If doctors don't triage patients, the hospitals overfill and no one is treated; in pandemic conditions even more people die if resources are not spared for those most likely to survive. Given the choices of bad or awful, one should always choose the lesser of two evils. Likewise, given the choice of risking the loss of the entire organization or downsizing to survive in the current economic climate, Piedmont Wildlife Center chose to triage.

It is important to understand that we had no choice; this was not something we wanted to do. No board or community member had a plan that would make the numbers work. There was simply no other financially viable option for us to choose. After saving over 12,000 animals for the past 6 years, Piedmont Wildlife Center could simply no longer afford to keep the clinic open. This was not a decision made because we did not care and it is not necessarily a permanent one -- we hope to see better times in the future and to find a viable way to resume clinical activities at PWC.

We will also continue to answer wildlife questions and to refer callers with animals in need to local rehabilitators near the caller's location. Our mission now, however, will focus squarely on education and preservation of wildlife habitats, so that further injuries and negative impacts are prevented.

This was a hard decision made by a group of hard working, caring and compassionate people. These people are not giving up on wildlife or on humanity. They are all continuing to do the best they can do in these difficult times. PWC is still open at Leigh Farm Park and will continue to help the public learn how to value and protect wildlife.

We may not all agree on how to best advocate for wildlife, but surely we can all agree that wildlife need advocates.