From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)

We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

End New York's sport killings of local wildlife

Letter as published on NY Daily News
October 30, 2023

Tuckahoe, N.Y.: Oregon recently became the ninth state to ban wildlife killing contests. The New York State Legislature passed S4099/A2917, which also bans these mercilessly cruel events. It awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature.

Videos of these contests show people counting piles of broken, dead and dying bodies, including squirrels, crows and rabbits, then laughingly slinging bodies onto trucks like they’re trash — bodies of our country’s wildlife, who love their families just as we do. Many victims have been raising their young, so babies are orphaned — animals already pushed out of their homes by urban sprawl, then slaughtered just to win a prize.

Even traditional hunters like Jim Posewitz, founder of the Hunter’s Institute, abhor these contests, saying no hunting should be competitive and that such contests create poor public relations for hunters by commercializing hunting with money and prizes. Fishing contests and standard hunting seasons are exempt from the bill.

New York State Trappers Association Director David Leibig says banning wildlife killing contests is illogical, rationalizing that the contests raise money for fire departments and community groups. Leibig fails to mention that participants in these sad events are perfectly free to reach into their hearts and wallets right now to contribute to fire departments and community groups with no need to engage in a wildlife slaughter contest. So his contributions ploy is actually just a cover for Leibig’s own supposed good time.

We are a strong, intelligent country. Making a contest out of killing animals is beneath us. Gov. Hochul, please sign S4099/A2917. It’s the right and honorable thing to do.

Kiley Blackman

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