An ‘itch to kill’: Undercover at wildlife killing contests in Nevada

By on March 30, 2023 with 3 Comments

Earlier this month, our Nevada state director Rebecca Goff and others testified at the Assembly Natural Resources Committee hearing in support of a bill in Nevada (A.B. 102) that would end cruel, unsporting and ecologically destructive wildlife killing contests in the Silver State. An end to these contests can’t come soon enough for the wild animals routinely slaughtered because of them, as two of our recent undercover investigations show.

In January at the Cold Springs Station Overnight Coyote Derby in Fallon, Nevada, our undercover investigator witnessed a display of abject cruelty and disregard for animal life. The participants competed in categories for the greatest weight of four animals killed, the biggest coyote, the smallest coyote and the “lucky loser,” given to a team with no kills. At the weigh-in, where around 60 coyotes were piled onto a truck bed, participants cut slits in the dead coyotes’ legs to hang them upside down for weighing. Competitors dragged bodies along the ground and flung them into trucks. The pavement was soaked in blood.

Wildlife killing contests promote and glorify unsporting and violent behavior toward wild animals as a recreational activity, something that many hunters don’t condone. The HSUS

One attendee told the investigator that he killed three coyotes but chose not to retrieve the bodies because they were in deep mud. When asked why he participates in killing contests, another participant said: “Being able to shoot as many as I f****** want. And kill s***. The itch to kill something. Better than people.” A third individual said he used a thermal imaging scope to kill a coyote who weighed just 12 pounds. He said the coyote was “right underneath him” and “looking right at” him. Smiling and imitating a shot at very close range, he said, “it was like shooting a f****** weenie dog.”

Two participants told the investigator that killing animals on federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management is a regular occurrence during these events, even though contest rules stated that the organizer did not have a Special Recreation Permit. During this event, the investigator witnessed an individual looking for coyotes on federal land.

Our undercover investigation at a wildlife killing contest in Nevada revealed large numbers of native coyotes killed just to be dragged, piled up and hung at the weigh-in, for cash prizes. The HSUS

Thirty-two teams competed at the 9th Annual Coyote Ball in Reno, Nevada, in mid-January. Dozens of coyotes were killed, with the winning team shooting 11 of them. At the weigh-in, the coyotes’ blood ran along a gutter, and one person exclaimed, “The blood will flow!” Participants told the investigator that they use night vision and thermal imaging scopes to kill the animals. They drive from location to location, using electronic calling devices that mimic the sounds of coyote pups or prey in distress, to lure coyotes near the truck.

This gruesome activity is neither good family fun nor a wholesome tradition. It’s wanton behavior that sends the message to youth that Nevada’s native wild animals are nothing more than disposable pieces in a game for prizes.

Nevadans care about wildlife. The “America’s Wildlife Values Report” shows that twice as many Nevadans believe humans should do their best to coexist with wildlife than state residents who believe that wildlife should be used and managed for human benefit. Just 3.4% of Nevadans are licensed hunters, and most hunters don’t participate in killing contests. And a recent study by researchers at Ohio State University found that between 1978 and 2014 the public’s positive attitudes toward coyotes—the most frequent target of killing contests—grew by 47% and showed most respondents expressing positive attitudes toward coyotes.

Research finds that indiscriminate coyote killing, such as occurs during killing contests, serves no legitimate wildlife management function. Nor do wildlife killing contests reduce coyote populations in the long run, prevent livestock conflicts or boost game species numbers. In fact, killing contests can increase conflicts and increase coyote populations by disrupting the coyote pack structure.

The few proponents of wildlife killing contests try to argue that they are wholesome outdoor recreational activities. But what our undercover investigations show time and again, in state after state, is a competition that smacks of blatant disregard for animals and ecosystems, an attitude taught to the children who sometimes attend. To claim that a ban on killing contests is an attempt to chip away at rural culture is a red herring designed to divide us. Most people—whether they live in urban, suburban or rural areas—do not support cruel, unsporting or wasteful activities like this. It’s time to outlaw wildlife killing contests in Nevada and in the 41 other states that still allow them.

Follow Kitty Block on Twitter@HSUSKittyBlock.

Breaking: New anti-doping program is good news for racehorses

By on March 27, 2023 with 2 Comments
Breaking: New anti-doping program is good news for racehorses

Today marks a critical turning point for thoroughbred racehorse safety, and it comes just in time for the upcoming Triple Crown season. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority just launched its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, ushering in a new era of safety and welfare . . . 

Read More

Helping animals recover after Chile’s forest fires

By on March 27, 2023 with 1 Comment
Helping animals recover after Chile’s forest fires

In Chile, forest fires recently left entire families without homes. More than 6,000 people have been displaced. In February, a group of first responders discovered a family sleeping in a tent with the last of their belongings and their two dogs. One of their dogs . . . 

Read More

In major win, Utah bans the use of gas chambers in animal shelters

By on March 24, 2023 with 4 Comments
In major win, Utah bans the use of gas chambers in animal shelters

Last Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill to end the use of gas chambers for euthanasia of cats and dogs, leaving just two states in the U.S.—Missouri and Wyoming—that continue to use this cruel and archaic method. Today, only three known and active . . . 

Read More

Celebrating the lawmakers who made 2022 a banner year for big cats and other animals

By on March 23, 2023 with 3 Comments
Celebrating the lawmakers who made 2022 a banner year for big cats and other animals

Last night at our Humane Awards event on Capitol Hill, we celebrated the work of lawmakers whose dedication to our cause made 2022 a banner congressional year for animals. In particular, we recognized the passage into law of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, and . . . 

Read More

Puppy Protection Act brings hope for dogs languishing in puppy mills

By on March 20, 2023 with 5 Comments
Puppy Protection Act brings hope for dogs languishing in puppy mills

In West Point, Iowa, a large-scale, commercial breeding facility called the Stonehenge Kennel contains more than 800 dogs. Here, since 2015, more than 100 dogs have been found sick or injured; some had open lesions and could barely walk. As recently as December 2022, the . . . 

Read More

Breaking: Undercover investigation reveals Florida’s shady ivory market

By on March 20, 2023 with 1 Comment
Breaking: Undercover investigation reveals Florida’s shady ivory market

With elephants just a step or two away from extinction, our newly released undercover investigation reveals a thriving market for ivory products in Florida, one that undermines conservation efforts and increases the pressure on this beleaguered species. Under U.S. federal law, new ivory cannot be . . . 

Read More

In major win for animals, Indonesia’s capital city bans dog and cat meat trades

By on March 17, 2023 with 4 Comments
In major win for animals, Indonesia’s capital city bans dog and cat meat trades

Earlier this month, authorities from the Special Area of the City of (DKI) Jakarta—the most populous metropolitan area in Indonesia, which includes the capital city—announced they have banned the dog and cat meat trades, which will save the lives of an estimated 340 dogs and . . . 

Read More

Undercover at wildlife killing ‘contest’ where 405 coyotes were slaughtered in 45 hours

By on March 15, 2023 with 5 Comments
Undercover at wildlife killing ‘contest’ where 405 coyotes were slaughtered in 45 hours

At the end of a macabre “contest” in Mendon, Illinois, a young boy carries the lifeless bodies of coyotes streaked with blood and torn apart by bullets. He walks across blood-soaked pavement, struggling under the weight of the animals as he helps to load the . . . 

Read More

Victory! Cruel hunting methods in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge were just defeated

By on March 14, 2023 with 3 Comments
Victory! Cruel hunting methods in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge were just defeated

In a massive victory for wildlife in Alaska, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it was withdrawing its 2020 proposed rule that would have allowed trophy hunters on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to lure brown bears to their deaths with . . . 

Read More

Nearly 200 dogs saved from slaughter as HSI shuts down 18th dog meat farm

By on March 13, 2023 with 4 Comments
Nearly 200 dogs saved from slaughter as HSI shuts down 18th dog meat farm

Not long ago, our Humane Society International team in South Korea discovered yet another heartbreaking scene on a dog meat farm: Dozens and dozens of dogs were locked in feces-filled cages awaiting slaughter. Many were pregnant, days away from giving birth to puppies who would . . . 

Read More

A decade’s worth of wins against cosmetics animal testing

By on March 10, 2023 with 2 Comments
A decade’s worth of wins against cosmetics animal testing

Tomorrow, March 11, 2023, marks the 10-year anniversary of a historic paradigm shift away from cosmetics animal testing. When the European Union and Israel became the world’s first markets to ban animal tests for cosmetics such as makeup, shampoo and cologne, the change jump-started our . . . 

Read More

Top