Reported by Trish Swain, founder of Trailsafe, Chair of League of Humane Voters, Nevada (LOHV-NV)
Here in Nevada a total disrespect for wildlife…
On March 20th, the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners voted to accept or reject a petition to ban coyote-killing contests in the state. Project Coyote www.projectcoyote.org put out the following speaking points:
- Coyote-killing contests are conducted for profit, entertainment, prizes, and simply for the “fun” of killing. In December 2014, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to close the loopholes that allowed the killing of wildlife for prizes and inducements – becoming the first in the nation to ban the practice for coyotes, foxes, bobcats and other species. Nevada should follow California’s lead.
- Coyotes are often baited and lured with distress calls of pups or wounded prey, placing coyotes at an even greater and unfair disadvantage.
- No evidence exists showing that indiscriminate killing contests serve any effective wildlife management function. Coyote populations that are not exploited (e.g. hunted or trapped) form stable “extended family” social structures that naturally limit populations through defense of territory and the suppression of breeding by subordinate female members of the family group. Indiscriminate killing of coyotes disrupts this social stability resulting in increased reproduction and pup survival.
- Coyotes have been shown to provide ecosystem services that benefit humans, including the control of rodents and rabbits which compete with domestic livestock for forage and which are associated with diseases such as plague, hantavirus, tularemia and Lyme disease.
- Coyote-killing contests perpetuate a culture of violence and send the message to children that life has little value and that an entire species of animals is disposable.
- Coyote-Killing contests put non-target wildlife, companion animals, and people at risk.
- A ban on coyote-killing contests in Nevada will not restrict the ability to protect property, including livestock, and will not undermine Second Amendment gun ownership rights, nor will it limit hunting in any other way.
Despite all of the above, THE APPEAL WAS DENIED BY THE PEOPLE WHO PROFIT FROM THE KILLING OF OUR WILD ANIMALS.
Clearly, the time has come to change wildlife management practices and structure. It’s not working, the current system has failed. We, the public and wildlife need immediate relief.