To the editor:
Albert Einstein was quoted as saying, “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures.” I was appalled recently to read that wildlife killing contests are being held in our state and that participants are competing for cash and prizes by killing bobcats, foxes, and coyotes. Competitions include killing the most, the heaviest, or sometimes even the smallest. These contests violate the principles of sportsmanship and fair chase, promote wanton waste of life, and are counter to sound, science-based wildlife management principles. Recent wildlife killing contests have been held in Seymour (Coyote Craze for the largest coyote killed); in Paoli (Slapped Predator Hunt for killing fox and coyote AND Annual Charity Hunt to Benefit Warrior Shoot for the heaviest coyote killed), to name a few.
What can you do to stop this senseless carnage? Send an email message to members of the Natural Resources Commission ([email protected]) asking them to join states like Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Washington, New Mexico and Vermont that have found creative and profound ways to ban wildlife killing contests! Ask the commission to please promulgate their rules to end this senseless act of cruelty and ban wildlife killing contests in Indiana!
You can also find out more detailed information about wildlife killing contests and the ineffectiveness of killing native carnivores to protect larger game animals such as deer by emailing the Humane Society of the United States ([email protected]).
Cathi L. Eagan, Nashville
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