Dear Friend of Wildlife,
Penning, the practice of confining coyotes and foxes in fenced enclosures and exposing them to mauling by packs of dogs for “sport” and “entertainment,” is a cruel and vicious practice that is, unfortunately, prevalent in states like Virginia. Foxes and coyotes suffer horribly and die in the pens- literally torn apart.
Last year, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) amended penning regulations that permit and regulate penning even though Project Coyote and allies sought a ban on the practice altogether.
What You Can Do:
Virginia Senator Dave Marsden has introduced SB42, which would ban both fox and coyote penning and make it a class 1 misdemeanor to have or operate a pen. Project Coyote and allies were successful in banning penning in Florida in 2010. Help us to do the same in Virginia by contacting your legislator on the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee and contacting the following members of that Committee encouraging them to support and co-sponsor SB42:
Senator John C. Watkins: district10@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Phillip P. Puckett: district38@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Richard H. Stuart: district28@senate.virginia.gov
Senator John A. Cosgrove: district14@senate.virginia.gov
If you live in Virginia please attend and testify at the next public meeting on the topic. (testimony limited to 1 minute):
When: Thursday, February 6th, 1:00 pm
(Public testimonies will be heard between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Please arrive no later than 1:00 pm.)
Where: General Assembly Building, 910 Capitol Street, Richmond, VA
Talking Points:
*FOX & COYOTE PENNING IS CRUEL AND INHUMANE
Fox and coyote penning parallels dog and cockfighting – activities made illegal in all U.S. states in the last twenty years. Penned wild coyotes and foxes are often killed or mutilated in the most unconscionable way. At least 3,600 foxes have died in pens in Virginia in the last three years.
*VIRGINIA LACKS THE RESOURCES TO ENFORCE THE VDGIF PENNING REGULATIONS
Only a tiny percentage of Virginians participate in penning operations, yet thousands of tax dollars would be needed to regulate fox pens. There are too few Conservation Enforcement Officers in Virginia to enforce the proposed regulations. Also, there are insufficient funds for the record keeping and infrastructure needed to enforce the proposed rules. Most Virginia taxpayers would NOT want their taxes used to sanction and regulate penning. If most Virginia taxpayers knew what goes on inside a pen, they would want the practice abolished.
*PENNING CREATES A BAD IMAGE OF VIRGINIA AND ITS HUNTERS, LOWERS REAL ESTATE VALUES AND DISCOURAGES BUSINESSES FROM INVESTING IN LAND NEAR PENS
Tourism, including wildlife viewing (not killing) is big business for Virginia. Penning creates a backward, cruel image for Virginia and should be abolished. As Virginia real estate emerges from the Great Recession, homebuyers will NOT want to purchase homes near a fox penning operation, where they can hear the cruel chases and deaths. Businesses will not want to invest in land near fox pen operations.
*FOX & COYOTE PENNING IS COUNTER TO SOUND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that penning operations help reduce fox or coyote populations on a state-wide level or mitigate negative encounters with either species.
*PENNING VIOLATES FAIR CHASE
There is nothing “sporting” about setting a pack of dogs against a single fox or coyote trapped in an enclosure. Most penned coyotes and foxes become “live bait” and are torn apart and killed by dog packs. Ethical hunters should oppose penning.
*FOX & COYOTE PENNING SPREADS FATAL DISEASES AND PARASITES
Fox and coyote penning facilities transmit diseases, including rabies and parasites, between wild canids and domestic animals. While purchasing foxes from out of state for penning is illegal, penning encourages a lucrative black market in out-of-state foxes, which can result in the transmission of disease.
*FOX & COYOTE PENNING ATTRACTS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
While Virginia law ostensibly prohibits killing foxes in pens, in reality thousands of foxes have been killed in Virginia’s pens. Coyotes have also been illegally used in pens in Virginia. In 2007, a national operation called Foxote found illegal activities in pens in the Southeast and Midwest, resulting in 18 arrests in multiple states.
THANK YOU FOR WRITING AND MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD!
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Photo:
John Harrison
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Photo: John Harrison
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