Photo Credit: WildEarth Guardians
Wildlife killing contests – violent, inhumane, and indefensible
Ban Wildlife Killing Contests
Wildlife killing contests are organized events in which participants compete for prizes by attempting to kill the most animals over a certain time period. Many of these contests are well-publicized and sponsored. Coyotes are the most common target. Bobcats, foxes, badgers, skunks, prairie dogs, and wolves are also targeted. In 2018, Vermont became the first state to ban this brutal bloodsport.
Each of these species is a key part of healthy, functioning ecosystems. Killing contests devalue native wildlife and glorify wasteful violence, while disrupting natural processes. They give ethical hunters a bad name and serve no legitimate management purpose. Moreover, they can actually exacerbate conflicts with livestock; peer-reviewed studies on cougars, coyotes, and wolves demonstrate this result.
In New Mexico, approximately 30 wildlife killing contests are held every year. We’re working hard to end these reprehensible competitions and provide carnivores with the peace and respect they deserve.
How You Can Help
Help protect the incredible, vulnerable wildlife of the West! Be a guardian for the wild by joining the conversation, learning about current issues, and making your voice heard. Together, we’re a powerful force for nature.
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Federal wildlife workers kill coyotes in Montana with an arsenal of lethal approaches. They shoot them from helicopters. They shoot them from airplanes. They employ leghold traps. They set snares. And they use M-44 devices that, once triggered, spray sodium cyanide into the carnivores’ mouths, where it mixes with moisture to form deadly cyanide gas.
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