Animal protection groups urge congress to crack down on cruel canned hunts

July 29, 2004

From a press release

WASHINGTON -- The Fund for Animals and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) urged Congress today to pass a bill that would crack down on "canned hunts." The groups praised Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) for introducing S. 2731, the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act of 2004, a bill that will help stop the inhumane and unsporting practice of killing animals in "canned hunts."

Nearly identical legislation cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2002 before time ran out on that congressional session. Nine senators joined as original cosponsors of S. 2731, which was introduced on July 22, 2004.

A canned hunt takes place on enclosed property where hunters pay fees to kill captive animals. The animals are bred in captivity, purchased from animal dealers, or retired from zoos and circuses. S. 2731 will prohibit interstate transport of exotic mammals -- such as lions, giraffes, and antelopes -- for the purpose of shooting them in canned hunts.

"The tame animals killed in these types of hunts often do not even run when approached by weapon-wielding hunters," said Jeff Leitner, public policy coordinator for The Fund for Animals. "For this reason, canned hunt operations can offer guaranteed trophies and typically advertise as 'no kill, no pay.'"

"Canned hunts represent an odious form of cruelty, and even most hunters find that the industry's practices bear no resemblance to the type of hunting they engage in," said Wayne Pacelle, president of The HSUS. "We commend Senator Lautenberg for his leadership and call on Congress to enact this long- needed ban to halt the trophy killing of exotic animals."

Exotic animals confined in high-density clusters at canned hunts contract diseases more readily than free-roaming, widely dispersed species. Exotics interact with native species through fences, contributing to the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease and other illnesses that jeopardize the health of deer, elk and other native species.

The Fund for Animals offers a comprehensive report, "Canned Hunts: Unfair At Any Price," which analyzes the statutes and regulations governing canned hunts in all 50 states. More information is available on The Fund for Animals' web site dedicated to this issue, http://www.cannedhunts.org.

As hunters and sportsmen, we should be opposed to these type of "canned" hunts. However, we should be much more opposed to this bill.

If you read the wording carefully, you can see that it would basically open the door to eliminate hunting of ANY animals that were behind ANY kind of fence...never mind that it's a two-strand sheep fence around a 10,000 acres pasture in Montana.

The fact that it was written by a Democrat from New Jersey should tell you all you need to know...

Dont know whether there is anything "we" can do- as the issue is typically presented in Disneyland logic.
Meaning ,it sounds compassionate and "good" and anyone that opposes the idea must be cruel etc.
What one could do ,is extend the Mickey Mouse logic:if killing an animal,that has no chance for escape or defense( I am purposefully extending the idea) is cruel and inhumane,then slaughtering of any farm animal should be forbidden and any butcher equated with an abortionist or worse.
We therefore have 2 options
1: require by law to put to sleep farm animals only under full anesthesia
still killing of "defenseless" creatures though
2: outlaw eating of all animal products derived from purposefully killing of animals,leaving eating of dead deceased carcasses as the only source for supermarket meat.

This of course is no endorsement of "canned" hunting,just a logical analysis of the thought pattern of these intelligent guardians of humanity.

sheephunter

"Captive?" And just how do they propose to define "captive?" Open grazing is long gone. Sooner or later, you run into a fence.

Russ

There is some big demonstations going on in the UK right now by animal rights groups.

I did not catch the name of an American representative of of one of those groups, but he said "any sort of violence is justified" against anyone who tries to harm animals.

The British Parliament is trying to pass laws to protect research personnel from being harassed by animal rights groups.

Apparently they have beaten up people who are working at animal research establishments.

I suppose he meant both research and hunting.

quote]A canned hunt takes place on enclosed property where hunters pay fees to kill captive animals. The animals are bred in captivity, purchased from animal dealers, or retired from zoos and circuses.

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Let's see, bred in captivity (game farm) + enclosure (fence). That means that 90% of the hunting in South Africa would become illegal.

This bill comes up every year and every year it disappears for lack of support. While there are many instances of real canned hunts on very small parcels, particularly in Michigan, most hunts are not canned. They may be ridiculously easy but not canned.

If the owners of these farms would stop advertising 100% success and guaranteed kills some of the pressure might go away.Tell your SCI Board Member to get them off the stick and to stop supporting this type of hunting.

TrademarkTexan:

Your comments exactly point up the problem. (Much as I am not fond of NJ pols, he may have a point as I hope I can show) You have done a great service by pointing out that the bill is poorly worded. The principle of the bill, I believe should be supported by all hunters. Westerners like you have those grand, wide open spaces. You mentioned 10,000 acres in Montana. Now think about less than a tenth of that acreage in an "exotics" preserve in NY or PA. Ever wonder what those critters live on? it's the feed truck arriving and dropping off their food at specified points and at regular times of the day. That's a canned hunt to me - and the animals don't even have enough space to evade and hide. Your own state of Texas has numerous properties advertising hunts for "exotics". Maybe it's "fair chase". I don't know and don't want to find out either. I know sure as heck it isn't "fair chase' in any Eastern state like NY or PA and such places give a bad name to hunters who care more about the hunt than they do about the "trophy". So let's hope that a bill can be put together that can enable someone to hunt on 10,000 acres (fenced or not!) and get rid of our Eastern canned hunts. (BTW, I have seen ads for white tail deer hunts in variously PA and Quebec Prov.Can) that have a suspicious ring of being canned hunts so the problem isn't confined just to "exotics".

gerald416, I hope you were joking. You can't seriously support a legislative ban on "canned hunting," even with your definition of it. Think for a minute, man. You might not like this type of hunt, but how is it morally different from a butcher taking a .22 rifle and killing a pig?



I don't particularly like the idea of killing an animal I am watching being released from a cage, but if that is your bag, go for it. The type of person who pays 50 grand to kill a circus lion is not a hunter. The animal is just that. An animal. There is as much challenge to shooting a heifer in a pasture or at a butcher's compound. It may not be hunting, but it is not necessarily immoral, nor should it be illegal. Animals die a much more cruel death in nature.



The antis nibble away at us by separating us into groups such as you and me, and then making us argue amongst ourselves. We hunters should have no truck with the Animal Rights Fanatics in any way, any time.



If you want to do something positive, join your local chapter of SCI (if you aren't already a member) and push for SCI to stop advertising such things as "hunts." I need help on this one, my friend. SCI seems willing to accept advertising so long as the bill for it is paid.



I have very little interest in hunting for whitetails in a fenced in preserve, but do not consider it immoral, and I do consider it hunting. If you don't, as I don't, you should not pay your money to hunt that way. Boone and Crockett will not accept a trophy for their record books if it is shot in one of these. We hunters need to police our own ranks, but should not permit the ARF's to do it for us. Keep the legislature and Walt Disney thinking out of it.



In short, we hunters should refrain from criticizing hunting practices that are legal in Michigan, Texas, South Africa, or any other jurisdiction. Think before you give the ARF legions more ammunition. Some day a fairly short time in the future, they will succeed in making killing a whitetail anytime, anywhere, and anyplace, illegal, and it will be with our unwitting help. In the words of the immortal Pogo, "we have met the enemy and he is us."