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 Canned
Hunting
by The
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
Spreading Like a Disease
Canned hunting is the killing of an animal
in an enclosure to obtain a trophy. The animals are sometimes
tame exotic mammals; some, in fact, may have been hand-raised
by the canned hunting operation or a breeder. These animals
do not run from humans. Many groups that support hunting scorn
canned hunting for its unsportsmanlike practice, because patrons
are often guaranteed a kill.
From Maine to Arkansas, canned hunting operations
are sprouting up all over. The Humane Society of the United
States estimates that there are more than 1,000 canned hunt
operations in at least 28 states. They are most common in
Texas, but they are found throughout the continental United
States and Hawaii. Safari Club International has done its
part to promote canned hunting by creating a hunting achievement
award, the "Introduced Trophy Game Animals of North America,"
which may support the operation of canned hunts.
Big Business
The sale of exotic mammals to canned hunts
is big business for private breeders, animal dealers, and
disreputable game parks and zoos. The overbreeding of captive
exotic animals exacerbates the problem. Indiscriminate breeding
produces surplus animals, which are then sold, traded, or
otherwise disposed of to exhibitors, circuses, animal dealers,
game ranches, or individuals. Hunt operators purchase animals
directly from such sources, or at auctions.
The Victims
Clients pay large sums of money to participate
in canned hunts, which take place in confined areas from which
animals cannot escape. The victims may be exotic (non-indigenous);
or native animals, including several varieties of goats and
sheep; numerous species of Asian and African antelope; deer,
cattle, swine, and zebra.
 Tame
Targets
The killing of a confined or restrained wild
animal is slaughter for the sake of amusement. Unlike situations
in which animals can use their natural and instinctual abilities
to escape predation, a canned hunt affords animals no such
opportunity. In fact, animals may be hand-reared, fed at regular
times, and moved regularly among a system of corrals and paddocks.
These practices lessen the natural fear and flight response
elicited by human beings, and ensure the hunters an easy target.
Animals may be set up for a kill as they gather at a regular
feeding area or as they move toward a familiar vehicle or
person. Once a pattern is established, even the most wary
antelope can be manipulated effectively, guaranteeing a kill.
Legislation
Most states allow canned hunting of native
and exotic mammals. At this time, no federal law governs canned
hunting. The Animal Welfare Act does not regulate game preserves,
hunting preserves, or canned hunts. Although the Endangered
Species Act protects species of animals listed as endangered
or threatened, it does not prohibit private ownership of endangered
animals and may even allow the hunting of captive-bred, endangered
exotics.
Summary of The Humane Society of the United
States's Objections to Canned Hunts
| • |
Canned hunts are cruel
and brutal activities. |
| • |
Canned hunts occur in a confined area
from which the animal has absolutely no chance of escape. |
| • |
Not only are animal used in canned
hunts physically controlled by barriers or fences, they
have also been psychologically conditioned to behave
as a target by life in captivity. |
| • |
Canned hunts provide private breeders,
animal dealers, and disreputable zoos with a dumping
ground for surplus animals and a financial justification
for breeding. |
| • |
They exacerbate the problem of overbreeding
of captive exotic animals. |
The above article is reprinted with the
permission of The
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
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