Breaking news: Arizona bans wildlife killing contests
The HSUS has been at the frontlines of the fight to end wildlife contests and our goal is to see them eradicated once and for all. Photo by John Harrison
Arizona today banned all wildlife killing contests for coyotes, bobcats, foxes and other animals, joining a growing number of states taking action to stop these gruesome events in which participants vie for cash and prizes for killing the most or heaviest animals within a specific time period.
The ban, proposed in June, was voted on by Arizona’s Fish and Wildlife Commission. It received final approval today in a unanimous vote by the Governor of Arizona’s Regulatory Review Council and will go into effect in 60 days.
Since the start of 2018, Vermont and New Mexico have passed laws banning coyote killing contests. California, Colorado and Maryland have also banned or restricted wildlife killing contests. The Arizona ban is the most far-reaching of all these because it covers many more species.
The momentum against these contests reflects changing attitudes among citizens and a growing disgust toward the cruelty and inanity of these events. Twenty years ago, this same Regulatory Review Council rejected a similar opportunity to approve a ban, but this time, its members found it difficult to ignore a rising groundswell of citizen opposition. Nearly 5,000 people submitted comments to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and an overwhelming majority expressed support for the rule.
Professional wildlife stewardship organizations like The Wildlife Society have also spoken out against the random killing of wild carnivores in killing contests, and the events are increasingly being criticized by state wildlife agency leaders.
Organizers and participants have often used livestock conflicts as a reason to justify these contests, but scientific evidence shows that indiscriminately killing wildlife is not only ineffective at curtailing conflicts with livestock and pets, it can actually make matters worse.
The HSUS has been at the frontlines of the fight to end wildlife contests. We’ve conducted undercover investigations of these contests in New York and New Jersey, and in Oregon, and footage shot by our undercover investigators captures the casual indifference participants at these contests show for the suffering and death of animals. The contests also desensitize children — who are often encouraged to participate in the killing — to animal cruelty. Last year, at Arizona’s “Santa Slay Coyote Calling Tournament” in Dewey-Humboldt, advertisements depicted Father Christmas holding a rifle and standing in a pool of blood (the town later passed a resolution condemning these gruesome spectacles).
Our goal is to see these contests eradicated once and for all. Arizona’s pioneering action should inspire other states to follow suit. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is considering a regulatory change to outlaw killing contests for species like foxes and coyotes, and there is similar legislation in New Jersey and New York. As part of the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests, a coalition we co-chair with Project Coyote that is composed of more than 30 national, regional and local wildlife protection organizations, we’re taking the fight national.
For today’s outcome, we applaud the Arizona Governor’s Regulatory Review Council for listening to the voices of thousands of Arizonans and potential visitors to the state who submitted comments to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. If your state has wildlife contests and you want to learn how to effectively advocate to end them, you can download our toolkit. Wildlife killing contests are vicious and pointless, and there’s no justification for any state to condone them or support their continuation.
That is so sick. Sounds like a shooting gallery at a carnival.
Now if we can stop the raccoon killings in Tennessee
Thank you HSUS for this wonderful news and for all your hard work making it happen. May God Bless all of you.
Thank God!! Hadn’t heard this on our local news! Praise the people who stopped it. I’ve been trying for years!!!!
Fantastic news! Thank you!
Great news! Can we also place more focus on the gruesome fox hunting tradition which masks it’s cruelty by describing it as a social sport?
A win for the animals that is waaaaaaay overdue! The outrageous fact is that governments have been/are the complicitors of these vicious, evil, serial killing events. It is governments that have the power to ban such vicious behavior, yet, they have not thought it important enough to ban the wanton killing of these innocent victims for fun, entertainment, leisure time activity,and/or defective pride. Governments have continued to give the human predator the freedom to be animal serial killing psychopaths.
The goal of those elected to make laws that hold the human predator to compassionate high standards are guilty of allowing this predator to wallow in self-severance, regardless of consequences to defenseless animal victims.
Ethics: “Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Just because we always have doesn’t mean we always have to. Once we know better, we should choose better.”
Well, WELL said! Wholeheartedly agreed, Doris, and great closing quote.
Happy we are aware of the sometimes unjust slaying of animals and happy that states are listening….this sounds like a victory….I hope it continues within the limits of wisdom and discretion.
Well done- common sense rules at last!
Vielen Dank an Ihre Organisation ,dass es möglich gemacht wurde mit den Grausamkeiten aufzuhören !!!!!!
Thank you Arizona ….Our wildlife is precious . We should leave them alone . Hard enough to live out here let alone .Wild life commisions , should help not kill our wild life like that . How cruel,,, and you are creating killers . Giving killers a licence to kill for sport . Just wrong .
Eine wunderbare Nachricht. Warum muss der Mensch immer alles zerstören? Lasst doch die Tiere leben!
Hunting is indefensible, serves no useful purpose on the species hunted or their environment, does not control wildlife populations, and causes incomprehensible suffering.
Next step…time to abolish hunting to the dustbins of history, right alongside slavery.
The infectious disease spreading across America that originates in California is here in AZ . The liberal mindset that Arizona native’s and especially hunter’s that grew up hunting and trapping in this great free state hate is now infectious with numbers moving here in an astonishing rate . Im an Arizona native and avide outdoorsman , my job is to protect the natural resources this great state has to offer from devistating wildfire’s and 90% of my time is spent in the woods . I varmint call to reduce the numbers of predator’s that kill big and small game alike like deer , elk and antelope and these contests bring home the bacon with conservation . Hunting is conservation !! Animals are a renewable resource ! But when the day California and Californians alike get thier way and put a stop to all hunting is when we will all become prey to predators and there will be no more deer or elk or antelope . You then will see them having to protect thier kids while walking from the bus stop home from mountain lions and bears and coyotes and hunters will not be there to help you then . no matter how much you poke and pull i will never stop chasing predators . Last year in Arizona we had a 1% fawn survival rate in 3 units in Arizona in the antelope herds . thats one baby antelope that survived the attacks from coyote , foxes , bobcats , bears and mountain lions . 1 percent !!! When all the deer you love to see and feed are gone and there is no more antleope due to mass nunbers moving to az and the continuation of hunting getting kicked in by the mindset of idiots what will you do ? Who will you turn to ? How will you react to your stupid decisions ? Bye deer , elk and antelope it was nice to see you growing up .
your are a very sad animal serial killer and your kind is a dying breed who will not be missed! So because this very good law was passed you threaten to become a poacher? Yeah, better not happen! This law is one that is long over due!
At long last! Thank you for your part in helping to get
this passed and in getting the information out to the
people who care and for those who sit back and do
nothing even though they know it is wrong.