‘Wildlife killing contests,’ in which hunters earn prizes for shooting innocent animals, are now banned in Washington, protecting coyotes, foxes, and other animals.
This ban makes Washington the seventh state to outlaw these contests, in what is hopefully the beginning of a trend to end such violent events in the United States.
In these brutal contests, wild animals are killed en masse, as participants set out to accumulate as many dead animals as they can. Prizes are awarded for killing the most animals, the largest animals, or even the smallest animals, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
“I’m so grateful the commission has finally banned these cruel, unsportsmanlike competitions,” said Sophia Ressler, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “These wasteful contests don’t reflect the values of most Washington residents or proper, science-based wildlife management.”
From 2013 to 2018 in Washington, more than 1,400 coyotes were killed in these cruel contests, including the Washington Predator Coyote Classic and the Lind Gun Club Coyote Hunt, reported the Center for Biological Diversity.
These contests celebrate cruelty and violence. Participants brag about their kills on social media, with photos of them next to piles of dead animals. At one event, someone boasted about cutting open a pregnant coyote after killing her, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Proponents of these contests say they manage wild animal populations and protect livestock, but science and state wildlife agencies have repeatedly refuted these claims, explaining how they’re not in line with wildlife management practices and destroy healthy ecosystems.
Even hunters have supported bans to end these contests because they’re unethical.
In the past two years, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts have outlawed the gruesome contests; California, New Mexico and Vermont also prohibit them. New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maryland and Oregon are currently considering bans.
At Lady Freethinker, we will do everything in our power to ensure that states continue to ban these cruel contests throughout the country.
Honestly i would like to see these cowards put in jail. People like that there has to be something wrong with them mentally.
This world need more intelligent people just like the ones in Washington State & the other 6 states mentioned above, who have BANNED the shedding of animal Blood baths.
Enough cruelty is happening everywhere. Why does anyone needed to carry out more blood sheds legally? Violence of any sort is CRIMINAL.
Don’t kill more innocents foxes, you’re are ones completly beasts cowards and deserve the dead more big in the word
Wildlife killing contests?? What sort of filth people and culture does this??
The only good hunter is a dead one. Hunt the hunters! An eye for an eye.
Yeah Washington!
I should think so!
THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE AND HARMONY ON THIS EARTH WHILE SUCH CRUELTY TO ANIMALS IS HAPPENING !! WAKE UP HUMAN RACE !!!
super
Please put an end to the brutality of killing contests. All animals deserve respect for their lives and not be used in barbaric, cruel contests.
Great news.
I deeply care about animal welfare, my whole family does.
Hello, so terrible,. What is done with the animals. But are making repairs. Bit by bit.
This is great news, not if people would just sit back and enjoy the sites of the animal world, they might even slow down to a normal pace.
Animals do have feelings! PLEASE be humane and treat them with kindness–they have a right to exist, too, on our planet.
these animals really need our help and voice
I believe that God created the creatures for us to care for and love, not to murder.
This practice needs to be banned nation and world wide.
All human cruelty to animals should attract the same penalties as the same cruelty inflicted on humans
Some GREAT NEWS — YAY — may actions like this reverberate throughout the world.
This is how extinction begins, and how it can be slowed down. Thank you, Washington, for evolving into the 21st century. May the remaining 43 other state legislators grow modern brain cells and follow suit.
good article
Ban these contests, they are only held to satisfy the perverted tastes of brain-dead, heartless, gutless, soul-less morons who have IQ’s smaller than their shoe sizes. They openly brag and boast of how many innocent, defenseless animals that they have happily killed (or injured) as if they are the greatest POS on this planet. Shame on them and its now time to ban these contests…..
Thank God.
STOP KILLING ANIMALS FOR FUN! WHAT.IS.WRONG.WITH.YOU.PEOPLE?
HORRIFIC! STOP THE BLOODTHIRSTY DISPLAYS OF HE-MAN MACHO SENSELESS KILLING OF INNOCENT ANIMALS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??? LIVE AND LEFT LIVE!! STOP OVERPOPULATING AMERICA AND LEAVE THE WILDLIFE TO THEIR HABITATS. YOU PEOPLE ARE SICK IN THE HEAD!
The words Killing and Contest do not belong in the same sentence. It is utterly frightening that anyone can kill innocent animals and brag about it while standing next to piles of the poor creatures. These awful contests must be banned everywhere. Please do as Washington State has and ban this organized animal cruelty.
Ban this. Wgat is wrong with people?
BAN THIS !!~ SO VERY CRUEL!!!
Wild animals or not they are not born to go through this . A really exciting sport would be if one of these nuts were chased and shot by the other nuts.
Stop this horrific unethical event!
Stop this horrific unethical event!
HERE, HERE! FINALLY!
I honestly think people who like this cruelty and or do it have a few screws loose. Nobody normal does this. I cant stand people like this.
Yes… Ban these idiot killing contests.. That is really sick. Killing hundreds of innocent animals doing what nature provided for them and inhumane subhumans have to come along and kill kill kill. Totally gross and inhumane.
Great work Washington. Anyone that boosted on social media about their butchering is a derange, psychopathic worthless creature that should be done with from planet earth
There’s a step in the right direction!
It was time those horrible contests were banned. But there are still many other states that allow them.
AWESOME GOOD
ABOUT TIME
AWESOME GOOD
ABOUT TIME
the extent of cruelty to animals by emotionally disturbed men (for the most part) is ongoing
maybe they need to be neutered so they cannot reproduce
the extent of cruelty to animals by emotionally disturbed men (for the most part) is ongoing
maybe they need to be neutered so they cannot reproduce