Published in The News Eagle (Wayne/Pike Counties, PA)
As I was preparing to write this article, Dateline NBC aired a segment on March 15, "Canned Hunting — Fair Game?" exposing the cruel and unfair practices of commercial game ranches in this country. These ranches are legal in more than 20 states, including Pennsylvania. In fact, the Dateline segment opens with an undercover video of a bow-and-arrow hunt shot at a commercial hunting farm in Pennsylvania. "The [Corsican] ram is assaulted by arrow after arrow, piercing his leg and hide. The hunter takes aim as the ram stands only 20 feet away, quivering, trapped by the fence, an easy mark. Finally, after six arrows, a gunshot ended the torment." As is evident from the reporting, clients are not required to have any hunting experience; all you need is enough money to take the life of a helpless, often tame, animal.
Anti-hunters feel that there is no longer any such thing as a fair chase, the animal always being at a disadvantage (though, admittedly, animals in the wild at least have the chance to get away). But when it comes to canned hunts, most avid hunters are equally appalled at these unethical practices. They liken it to hunting in a zoo, which isn’t far from the truth. Zoos (and circuses) often use these facilities as dumping grounds for their surplus animals, a fact they have tried to hide.
On many game ranches, the animals are bred on site — they learn to trust the humans who raise and feed them, and who then sell their lives. The Dateline investigators learned that at one ranch they could actually pick out an individual animal to "hunt"! The ranch owner was quoted as saying, "Time is the biggest issue for hunters." True, hunters can spend days, even weeks, without success, and most of them don’t really mind as it is the chase that interests them. On a game ranch you can walk in, pay your money, point out your animal, kill it as it cowers against the fence (even if it takes six arrows and a gun shot), and go home with your trophy. About as skillful as picking out a steak at the local supermarket.
Federal legislation (The Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act) has been introduced that would ban the hunting of exotic animals held captive on these commercial game ranches. You can help by urging your federal Representative to support H.R. 1202 and your two U.S. Senators to support S.1345. Whatever your views on hunting, canned hunts are an abomination.
While canned hunts and pigeon shoots are two shameful practices still allowed in this state, there is yet another that most people might be surprised to hear about. Fox hunting, the "sport" usually associated with the United Kingdom, is alive and well in a handful of states. Only Virginia has more hunt clubs than Pennsylvania. These hunts are not only cruel and unfair but completely unnecessary, a social event for the bored and wealthy.
The hunts rely on agreements with local landowners for permission to cross their land. But many landowners are either afraid to object or find that their land is crossed even if they don’t give permission. The hound packs attack or kill any other animals in their path, including pet dogs and cats on their own property.
Last summer, England’s Prime Minister, Tony Blair, stated on national television that his Labor government would attempt to ban fox hunting before the next general election. It seems clear that a majority of British citizens and Members of Parliament are in agreement. Anti-fox-hunting efforts are just beginning in this country. Hopefully, a successful ban in the U.K. will carry over to the "colonial states" that still carry on this ignoble tradition.
The final "backyard" issue I will address is puppy mills. Though often associated with the Midwest states, Pennsylvania has its fair share of these cruel breeding kennels, mostly concentrated in Lancaster County. Notorious for their cramped, crude, and filthy conditions,the majority of dogs sold in pets shops come from such facilities. Continuous breeding takes its toll on the females, who are killed at about age six or seven when their bodies give out and they no longer can produce enough litters.Their puppies have a 50% percent chance of even reaching their destinations due to the poor treatment during transport. Those who do survive — those cute faces in the pet-store windows — may be unhealthy and hard to socialize.Dogs from puppy mills are bred for quantity, not quality.
While Pennsylvania is one of the states with a "lemon law" to protect consumers who wind up buying a sick puppy, this does not address the problem of the mills, the source of the misery. The USDA has done a poor job of enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, what with a shortage of inspectors and an unfortunate reputation of often "looking the other way."
When unwanted dogs and cats (including purebreds) are killed by the millions every year in animal shelters, there is simply no reason for animals to be bred and sold for the pet-shop trade. Without pet shops, the financial incentive for puppy mills would disappear. Again, you can help break the chain of misery by going to animal shelters or breed-rescue groups if you are looking for a companion animal. You can also contact your federal Representative and your two U.S. Senators, asking them to urge the USDA to strictly enforce the Animal Welfare Act.
Let’s make Pennsylvania a welcome place for both human and non-human animals.
Return to Vegetarian: For Your Health, for the
Animals, for the Planet
by Teresa D'Amico