Opponents of the ban say the species is overpopulated and a nuisance, as well as a threat to humans and livestock.
By Brooks Hays
VAN NUYS, Calif., Dec. 3 (UPI) — The California Fish and Game Commission voted to ban cash and other prizes in hunting contests at its meeting on Wednesday. The new rules come in the wake of protests by animal rights activists, who argue the widespread slaughter of coyotes is inhumane and unnecessary.
Legislation to ban the practice has previously been put before state lawmakers, but such efforts proved unsuccessful. Animal advocates ramped up their pressure on policy makers in November after 11 coyotes were killed during a hunting contest in Bakersfield, California.
“Most people are shocked to learn that it is legal to kill coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and other wildlife as part of a contest or tournament for prizes and recreational fun,” Camilla Fox, the executive director of Project Coyote, told The San Francisco Chronicle earlier this year. “They’re even more shocked to learn that hundreds of such contests take place each year in the U.S., killing thousands of wild animals.”
Fox’s group is one of many that have petitioned the state’s Fish and Game Commission to take up the matter. Regulators voted on the proposal at their Wednesday morning meeting in Van Nuys, California, and Project Coyote says the state is the first to ban the practice.
The new rules would only prohibit hunters and hunting groups from offering “any prize or other inducement” for the killing of non-game mammals — the coyote can still be hunted year-round with no limit.
Opponents of the ban say the species is overpopulated and a nuisance. Hunters claim their actions are a boon to ranchers, who regularly lose livestock to the predator. Animal rights advocates say coyotes are vital to the ecosystem and food chain, and are important prey for threatened gray wolves.