This makes me ashamed to be a Texan. It's disgusting to know it's going on and we can't seem to muster the will to do anything about it. The situation needs publicity. I'm going to forward the article to the Dallas Morning News and see if they take any interest. The paper has been surprisingly conservation-oriented lately.
Unbelievable! I can't understand how a state gov't can be so blind as to not protect its own wildlife! That's really pathetic that people in this day and age still don't understand the subtle link between the welfare of humans and the welfare of the ecosystem.
There's a very strong streak of independence in this state. People don't like to be told what to do. Sometimes it's a good thing but sometimes it's not.
New Hampshire is very similar (the state motto is "Live Free or Die"). But someone has to protect those that can't protect themselves from the dummies.
No, there are animal protection groups like the ASPCA and PETA but they are non-profit organizations with limited resources. These sidewalk vendors are hard to prosecute because they will just disappear and pop up somewhere else.