April 04, 2024
Media Contacts: info@projectcoyote.org, 415.326.4110
Film Release:
KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife In The Crosshairs
LARKSPUR, CA — Project Coyote is thrilled to announce the full public release of our documentary KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife In The Crosshairs, directed and produced by Project Coyote Founder & Executive Director Camilla Fox. The film made waves across the country in recent years, winning numerous awards, reaching thousands of people at film festivals and public screenings, and helping to galvanize grassroots support for ending the barbaric practice of wildlife killing contests in targeted states.
This groundbreaking exposé examines the egregious events, known as wildlife killing contests, that massacre some of North America’s most iconic wild animals on any given weekend for prizes and “recreation”. Wildlife killing contests award prizes (belt buckles, cash and assault weapons) to contestants who kill the largest or the most of a targeted species–typically coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and even prairie dogs and crows. KILLING GAMES brings together a wide diversity of voices from conservationists, ranchers, public officials and Native Americans to shed light on these shadowy contests and speak out against this hidden war on wildlife. The film inspires viewers to call on their state and local legislators to bring an end to these brutal contests where wild animals become living targets.
Since KILLING GAMES was launched, Project Coyote co-founded the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests, which includes more than 60 national and state organizations working together to end the practice nationwide. Together, the coalition has successfully banned wildlife killing contests in 10 states with several additional states currently considering bans. In addition, the coalition has worked with federal lawmakers to introduce legislation to ban killing contests on federal public lands.
The film is now publicly available on Project Coyote’s YouTube channel (the full documentary and a 10 minute version) to continue raising public awareness about wildlife killing contests and the reform desperately needed to protect wild lives from this ethically indefensible bloodsport. We encourage compassionate wildlife advocates to share this film widely and consider hosting a film screening event—especially in states with active campaigns to ban killing contests (IL, NV, & NJ).
This important film exposes a practice most Americans are surprised still exists: The killing of wildlife for entertainment and profit. Such contests are an anachronism that has no place in modern wildlife management. Most ethical hunters condemn this outdated practice. I’m proud that California was among the first states to ban prizes and awards for wildlife killing contests.
~Michael Sutton, former President, California Fish & Game Commission
KILLING GAMES is a passionate and thought-provoking film that gives voice to wild animals. Our world is changing, and whether it is orcas in captivity or coyote killing contests, these are exploitative activities that progressive societies should no longer sanction. There is no doubt that this revealing film will affect all who watch it and inspire and motivate them to action.
~Richard Wiese, President Emeritus, The Explorers Club Host and Executive Producer of Born to Explore
Killing one, ten, twenty or more wild animals is most assuredly not a game—all animals deserve our deepest respect, regard, and compassion. KILLING GAMES ~ Wildlife In The Crosshairs exposes the barbaric practice of slaughtering coyotes, bobcats, wolves and other wild animals for prizes and “fun.” Thank you, Project Coyote, for bringing to the forefront this cruel and ineffective “wildlife management” method. We at Born Free, who work to conserve and protect wild animals and to end their exploitation, encourage everyone to watch this groundbreaking film, and to take action to end these shameful killing contests.
~Will Travers & Virginia McKenna, Born Free
I’ve had some tell me that parts of Coyote America were difficult for them to read. Sadly, that’s unavoidable in the coyote’s biography, not because of anything intrinsic to coyotes, but because of what we’ve done to them. As beautiful a film as KILLING GAMES is, the subject is not easy to confront, and that of course speaks volumes. If we instinctively recoil at the idea of a highly intelligent, social mammal serving as live target practice for prizes and bets, that’s a certain indication that the practice is abhorrent. For the sake of moral decency, then, watch KILLING GAMES and let it move you.
~Dan Flores, Author of Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History
KILLING GAMES is a most important and timely documentary that not only is a clarion call to action that exposes the cruelty and wanton waste behind wildlife killing contests, but also is a film that inspires action and hope that together we can end this barbaric practice. Watch it, share it and help ensure this is seen by the masses. It is that powerful.
~Marc Bekoff, PhD, University of Colorado, co-author of The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age
KILLING GAMES, the film is not a game at all. It is a most important documentary bringing to light the horrific pastime of competitive coyote killing contests. Wonderfully produced, this film exposes the unethical and repugnant aspect of coyote killing contests and the impacts they have on entire ecosystems. The KILLING GAMES is a must-watch film and provides a road map for concerned citizens to stop these amoral killing contests.
~Franz Camenzind, PhD, Environmental consultant, wildlife biologist, cinematographer and film producer (ABC, Turner Broadcasting and National Geographic and PBS-Nature) Former Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
KILLING GAMES exposes the cruelty and ecological havoc wrought by wildlife killing contests. These barbaric tournaments encourage and reward wanton killing of highly intelligent and social species as entertainment. The film also inspires action and hope that together we can end this barbaric practice. I encourage everyone to watch and share this important film and to support the efforts of Project Coyote, a powerful voice for America’s wildlife.
~Steve Wells, Former Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund
From the very first frame this visually beautiful film grabs your attention and never lets go. KILLING GAMES lays bare the stunning void in which so many humans place themselves today. That void is the belief that humanity somehow exists separate and apart from nature, a belief which leads to the wanton killing of wildlife as told in this poignant film. This film exposes so much of what is wrong with a world where bloodlust masquerades as wildlife management.
~Azzedine Downes, President and CEO, International Fund for Animal Welfare
KILLING GAMES throws the curtain back on a particularly despicable form of animal cruelty masquerading as hunting. Contest hunts reduce hunting to mass killing purely for entertainment, with the participants and contestants doing their best to amass the largest body counts. This film should compel every animal advocate and every hunter to take on the issue and work to end these grisly spectacles.
~Wayne Pacelle, Founder, Animal Wellness Action
KILLING GAMES sheds light on the appalling consequences of the repugnant wildlife killing contests that thrive on the massacre and cheap thrills of killing the defenseless coyotes that are necessary to balance our earth’s ecosystem. Before watching this short film I never knew that wildlife killing contests existed!!
~Sangita Iyer Executive Director & Producer of Gods in Shackles
Read and learn more about this practice in features in National Geographic, The Earth Island Journal and Mountain Journal.
Special thanks to the following who helped support production and promotion of KILLING GAMES: Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Welfare Institute, Cottonwood Foundation, Harriett Crosby, Andrew C. Currie, Tatiana Freitas (Honorary Executive Producer), Fund for Wild Nature, Patagonia, Pegasus Foundation, Pettus Crowe Foundation, and Bev Spector and Ken Lipson (Honorary Associate Producers).
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Project Coyote, a fiscally-sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, protects North America’s wild carnivores and promotes compassionate coexistence through education, science, advocacy, and coalition building.