FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 26, 2018
Dewey-Humboldt Town Council (AZ) Passes Resolution Condemning Wildlife Killing Contests
DEWEY-HUMBOLDT, Ariz. — At the urging of Arizona citizens and local, state and national wildlife and animal protection organizations, the Dewey-Humboldt Town Council voted 4 to 2 last week in favor of a resolution that opposes wildlife killing contests. In these cruel events, participants compete for fun and prizes by killing the greatest number or the heaviest of the target species. Dewey-Humboldt joins a growing list of local and state entities denouncing killing contests.
The resolution comes in advance of the Santa Slay Coyote Tournament set to occur from December 15 to 16, 2018, in Dewey-Humboldt. This brutal event, which encourages the mass slaughter of coyotes using weapons such as AR-15 rifles, will take place on public lands. Firearm, predator-calling device, and hunting gear manufacturers and sellers are among its sponsors.
Dewey-Humboldt’s Town Council resolution aptly recognizes that coyotes and other native carnivores play a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems—including by controlling rabbit and rodent populations—and that wildlife killing contests serve no genuine ecological or wildlife management purpose. The resolution further acknowledges that wildlife killing contests threaten the safety and well-being of hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers, hunters, horseback riders, and other outdoor enthusiasts who use the public lands where killing contests take place.
“The Dewey-Humboldt Town Council’s resolution sends an unequivocal message that Arizonans will no longer tolerate wildlife killing contests,” said Matt Francis, Prescott, Arizona resident and Project Coyote Program Associate. “The Arizona State Legislature should recognize this growing trend and ban these cruel contests statewide.”
“Wildlife killing contests are heinous events that waste life and glorify violence—they have no place in modern society,” said Betsy Klein, Sedona, Arizona, resident and founder of I AM WOLF NATION. “We’re grateful to the Dewey-Humboldt Town Council for passing this important resolution.”
Earlier this year, a Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) undercover investigation showed wildlife killing contest participants piling up coyotes and foxes they had killed, and laughing and posing for photos in front of the dead animals. “We commend the Dewey-Humboldt Town Council for recognizing that wildlife killing contests are contrary to the values not only of this community but of all Arizonans,” said Kellye Pinkleton, HSUS Arizona senior state director.
Joe Trudeau, Southwest Advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “I’m inspired by the passion that has stirred these local citizens to act on behalf of wildlife which belong to all Americans, not just a handful of heartless killers. And I applaud the town council for making the right choice. This is democracy in action.”
On November 29 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Founder & Executive Director of Project Coyote Camilla Fox, Project Coyote Science Advisory Board Member Dave Parsons,and Center for Biological Diversity’s Joe Trudeau will be at Prescott College screening KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife In The Crosshairs. Matt Francis will introduce the film, and Camilla, Dave and Joe will participate in panel discussion following the screening. Camilla, Dave and Joe have close ties to Prescott College—Camilla completed her graduate studies there as one of Dave’s advisees, and Joe is a recent adjunct faculty and a regular guest classroom speaker. The event is free and open to the public.
Earlier this year, the city council of Albuquerque, New Mexico, unanimously passed a resolution calling for a state legislative ban on killing contests. Tucson and Pima County passed similar resolutions in recent years. Vermont and California outlawed killing contests in 2018 and 2014, respectively. The National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests, a growing alliance of more than 30 state and national wildlife and animal protection groups, will pursue similar policy changes at the state and local level across the nation in 2019.
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To RSVP for the screening of KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife In The Crosshairs at Prescott College on November 29th, 2018, please click here. Learn more about the film here and here
View the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests’ mission statement and list of members here.
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The following Arizona-based and national organizations support Arizonans:
Project Coyote, a national non-profit organization and a North American coalition of scientists, educators, ranchers, and citizen leaders promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science and advocacy.
I AM WOLF NATION — The power of the collective, working to protect the wolf and other persecuted wildlife
The Humane Society of the United States, a national nonprofit that has celebrated the protection of all animals and confronted all forms of cruelty. We and our affiliates are the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year, and we prevent cruelty to millions more through our advocacy campaigns. Read about our more than 60 years of transformational change for animals and people at HumaneSociety.org.
Center for Biological Diversity, a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than one million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places