What do you know about wildlife killing contests? You may not be surprised to learn that there is a huge appetite for this so-called sport and some unscrupulous individuals who provide it for a profit. That said, you’re probably unaware of the extend of this heartless industry countrywide and some of the very problematic practices. Here are four facts that are truly alarming.
1. Kills are committed with cruelty.
Responsible individuals who hunt for sport adhere to the idea of “fair chase” in which an animal is given a reasonable chance of escape. In addition, there are rules around such things as the age of the animal that can be killed and the time of year that a hunt can take place. Wasting meat from a kill also goes against the beliefs of responsible hunters.
In stark contrast, killing competitions use bait and electronic devices that replicate the call of an animal in distress to lure prey. The organizers and participants kill many more animals than they could reasonably eat. Hunters are only focused on the weight of their catch winning a prize or posing for a photo with the dead animal to bring home a grisly trophy. Afterwards the carcasses are typically discarded with no attempt to harvest the fur or the meat for food.
Since mature animals are the ones hunted in these events, many times there are orphaned animals left behind. These dependent young ones are unable to fend for themselves and won’t survive. Furthermore, an adult bobcat, coyote or cougar killed might well be pregnant with offspring.
1. Killing contest events are ethically suspect.
Killing contest organizers may remind their clients that they should abide by the hunting laws of the state, but there is no attempt at genuine oversight. It is window dressing at best and deceitful at worst. One result is that these events have the potential to tarnish the image of bona fide ethical sportsmen and sportswomen. There is a growing awareness that this is, indeed, happening.
Competitors in wildlife killing contests sign up for the prize money and the bragging rights. They are out to use whatever methods they can to secure a winning kill. The individuals sponsoring the competition charge people a premium to participate. They’re out to make money. There is nothing ethical about either the awarding of prize money for killing wildlife or the practice of charging entrance fees to line the pockets of private enterprises.
What’s more, there is an explosion of animal killing competitions in the United States. Would you believe that in the state of Texas alone, there are more than 600 wildlife killing contests? Many of these may be flying under the radar disguised as ethical events.
3. Killing competitions don’t actually help with population control.
Many killing competition promoters to try to make the case that they’re helping with population control for some of these species. This could not be further from the truth. Wildlife management is the responsibility of government. A science-based approach to gathering data and consulting with wildlife experts about target populations is critical to getting this right. If population control measures are not implemented properly, certain species may be at risk, not to mention a host of other adverse effects.
Carnivores that are native to America are usually the target of wildlife killing contests. Bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions and smaller animals are hunted indiscriminately with no account for conservation. This means that literally hundreds of animals can be killed over the course of a single weekend.
It has been shown that while killing contests offer no long-perm protection to the species hunted, they are also ineffective at population control. For instance, event organizers may claim that by having a coyote hunt they are helping ranchers protect livestock or supporting game species like turkeys or deer. Research has demonstrated that these suggestions are not borne out in fact.
4. Laws regulating killing competitions are lax or non-existent.
Other cruel games involving animals, such as cockfighting and dogfighting, have been outlawed. However, it remains legal in most states to host wildlife killing contests. One reason legislators have been rather slow to act is because some of the animals targeted are viewed as pests by some people. For example, prairie dogs, raccoons, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and some other species have been known to cause property damage or prey on farm animals.
Several states—Arizona, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington—have banned wildlife killing competitions for certain species, including bobcats, coyotes, and foxes. Other states are now poised to follow suit, and the Animal Welfare Institute is working diligently to encourage a nation-wide ban.
Finally
As people become more aware of just how brutal and inhumane wildlife killing contests are, there is a growing outcry to forbit them right across the nation.