ACTION ALERT

HELP US PROHIBIT THE PRACTICE OF COYOTE/FOX PENNING

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!

Dear Project Coyote Friends & Supporters:

The captured coyote is released into the pen and every one of her senses scream “fear”. Before she can race to the fence, the hunting dogs are released and the bloody “sport” of penning begins. Considered a training exercise, the dog packs are pitted against one terrified, trapped coyote or fox. These penned wild canids suffer horribly and die- literally torn apart by a dog pack.

This practice parallels dog and cock-fighting – activities illegal in every state. So too, coyote and fox penning should be banned nationwide. Cruel beyond words, this practice is an offense against nature and humanity.

This Wednesday (Feb. 17) the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) will hold a public hearing on this issue in Apalachicola. This practice- legal in several states – involves the live trapping of wild coyotes and foxes who are then often traded and sold to penning facilities.

In addition to this immediate Florida hearing, Project Coyote is working with a coalition of organizations to ban the practice in Indiana. On March 16th, the Indiana Natural Resources Commission (INRC) will consider citizen petitions to prohibit penning and the trade in live coyotes and foxes. We need your help! Raising public awareness, lobbying policy makers, and generating media requires resources and staff.

Project Coyote is on the front lines working to ban this practice. We will testify in person on Wednesday before the FWC in Apalachicola, Florida (read our news release on this issue- HOT LINK TO ). In both Florida and Indiana, we submitted formal letters endorsed and co-signed by more than 60 prominent scientists, wildlife biologists, veterinarians, ethicists, and attorneys urging the agencies to prohibit this unconscionable practice. Signatories to the letter, including internationally prominent scientists Dr. Michael Soulé and Dr. Reed Noss and ethicists Dr. Holmes Rolston, III and Dr. Dale Jamieson state, “As scientists, veterinarians, attorneys, and ethicists, we believe this practice — commonly referred to as ‘penning’ — violates the concept of fair chase and runs counter to fundamental concepts of wildlife management. There are serious ecological, ethical, disease and health-related issues associated with penning. We strongly support a ban on this practice.”

Please write to the FWC and the INRC TODAY and urge them to ban the practice of penning statewide and the trade in coyotes and foxes for such purposes. Your voice will make a difference!

We need to reach Americans nationwide to end this heinous and unacceptably cruel practice. And we need your help to make this happen. With your donation, we can reach the media, policy makers, and the general public to raise awareness that may end penning in the United States forever. We can do it with your help! To make a secure online donation now, visit Project Coyote’s website.

For America’s native wild “song dog,”

Camilla H. Fox
Founding Director

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Project Coyote is a non-profit fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute that promotes educated coexistence between people and coyotes and advocates on behalf of coyotes and other native carnivores. We depend on our members and supporters to help us continue our work on behalf of America’s native “song dog.” Please join us today! All donations are tax-deductible. Visit us at www.ProjectCoyote.org.