After a guide drove the ram directly into the path of his client, the hunter shot the trapped animal with an arrow at point-blank range. The wounded ram, with an arrow sticking out of his hindquarters, backed up against the fence that forced him to stay close to his killers. A shot to the head might have meant a quick kill, but would have spoiled the eventual trophy. So the hunter repeatedly took aim at the ram's body, and the animal writhed in pain for four minutes before dying. Perhaps no recent victory has meant more to us than the Texas ban on shooting bears, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, and other large mammals on fenced-in preserves, which we achieved with the Texas Humane Legislative Network. No bill to restrict hunting of any kind -- no matter how indefensible a hunt -- had ever made its way through the Texas legislature before this historic achievement. WHAT IS A CANNED HUNT? A canned hunt takes place on a fenced piece of private property where a hunter can pay a fee to shoot a captive animal. Nearly any animal is unfair game, receiving not only a prison sentence on a fenced-in preserve, but also a firing squad. While most canned hunts on the East Coast are less than 100 acres in size, some in the South and the West are larger. The Exotic Wildlife Association, an umbrella group for canned hunt operators, testified before Congress that its largest member has a 650 acre game ranch. Prices for a hunt may range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per kill. Either bred in captivity, purchased from animal dealers, or retired from zoos and circuses, these tame animals do not even run when approached by weapon-wielding hunters. Because baby animals are popular, zoos continue to breed their animals. But space is limited, and for every baby born an adult animal must leave. Zoos generally claim they do not know what happens to the animals they sell. But some, such as the San Antonio Zoo, sell their animals openly and even include owners of canned hunting facilities on their board of directors. San Antonio Zoological Society board member Betty S. Kelso and her husband Robert own the Auerhahn Ranch in Texas, and have purchased exotic animals directly from the zoo for years. Moreover, there are more than 15,000 animal exhibitors in the US and only 160 belong to the AZA. HAIL TO THE CHIEF Because most rank-and-file hunters cannot afford hundreds of dollars per trophy, canned hunts have become the privileged playgrounds of the wealthy elite. Doctors and lawyers trek from the suburbs for a weekend killing spree, and high-priced lobbyists entertain politicians on shooting preserves. Canned hunting preserves have begun to rival golf courses as favorite landscapes while wheeling and dealing. President George Bush celebrated his victory after the 1988 election at the Lazy F Ranch near Beeville, Texas. President Bill Clinton, too, has hunted on shooting preserves during his presidency. Two days after Christmas in 1993, President Clinton killed a captive-bred mallard duck on a Maryland shooting preserve owned by lobbyist John W. President Clinton's own US Fish and Wildlife Service is considering proposals to restrict or possibly ban the release of captive ducks for fear of spreading diseases to wild bird populations. Forty-nine state wildlife agencies -- all but Maryland's -- have condemned the release of captive waterfowl. Other politicians and celebrities have been known to spend their leisure time shooting tame animals. We paid our money, watched while the 'wild' turkeys were taken from their pen, and followed along as the birds were set loose along a brushy hillside for us to hunt. The bird my buddy and I were assigned flew straight toward us and took cover in a dense bush only yards away. We tried to flush it, but the panicked bird wouldn't budge. I reached into the tangle and pulled it out by its neck, feeling as foolish as the turkey was scared. We repeated this embarrassing sequence three or four times before putting the bird out of its misery and bringing this caricature of hunting to a pitiful close. Because powerful hunting lobbyist groups such as the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International -- which erroneously claim to represent the interests of all hunters -- fight tooth and nail against any measure that would restrict any type of hunting, no matter how repugnant. WHAT YOU CAN DO While many states prohibit canned hunts, states that allow canned hunts can purchase exotic animals from any state. Federal legislation is needed to stop the interstate commerce in animals for the purpose of shooting them on fenced-in preserves. Representative to support H. Senators to support the companion bill, S. Visit the House and Senate web sites to find out who represents you and to send them email messages. Please contact The Fund for Animals for updates on federal and state legislation and what you can do to help. For more information contact us at. According to an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States, the following zoos have sold animals either directly to canned hunts or to dealers who have done business with auctions or hunts: Buffalo Zoological Gardens NY Busch Gardens FL Cheyenne Mountain Zoo CO Great Adventure NJ Kansas City Zoo MO Lake George Zoological Park NY Lincoln Park Zoo IL Los Angeles Zoo CA Lowry Park Zoo FL Memphis Zoo TN National Zoo DC Oklahoma City Zoo OK San Antonio Zoo TX San Diego Zoo CA San Francisco Zoo CA Seneca Park Zoo NY St. Louis Zoo MO Suwannee Valley Zoo FL The following states have banned or restricted canned hunts or prohibited the use of certain species: California Montana New Jersey New York Oregon Rhode Island Texas Wisconsin References for article on AIP website. Ted Williams, Op cit. William Thompson and John B. Source: Hunting Fact Sheet 3 The Fund for Animals Return to Animals in Print Please send comments and submittals to the Editor: Linda Beane Animals in Print - A Newsletter concerned with: advances, alerts, animal, animals, attitude, attitudes, beef, cat, cats, chicken, chickens, compassion, consciousness, cows, cruelty, dairy, dog, dogs, ecology, egg, eggs, education, empathy, empathize, empathise, environment, ethics, experiment, experiments, factory, farm, farms, fish, fishing, flesh, food, foods, fur, gentleness, health, human, humans, non-human, hunting, indifference, intelligent, intelligence, kindness, lamb, lambs, liberation, medical, milk, natural, nature, newsletters, pain, pig, pigs, plant, plants, poetry, pork, poultry, research, rights, science, scientific, society, societies, species, stories, study, studies, suffering, test, testing, trapping, vegetable, vegetables, vegan, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism, water, welfare d-5 This site is hosted and maintained by: Thank you for visiting all-creatures.
