Bill Description:
This bill prohibits the hunting of captive big game, also known as “canned hunting.” Specifically, it bans the shooting or spearing of exotic wildlife that is tied, hobbled, staked, attached to an object, confined to a cage, or fenced in.[teaserbreak]
Pennsylvania’s definition of exotic wildlife includes, but is not limited to, all bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and any crossbreed of these animals which have similar characteristics in appearance or features. The definition applies whether or not the birds or animals were bred or reared in captivity or imported from another state or nation.
Background:
Canned, “captive,” “high-fence” hunts, “game ranches,” or “fenced-in shooting preserves” are essentially private or commercial trophy hunts in which animals are raised or captured from the wild and released into a confined area to be hunted. There is nothing sporting about shooting an animal that cannot escape, and the absence of fair chase makes these hunts particularly despicable.
Canned hunts are not only appalling because of the cruelty involved, but also dangerous because of the health risks they pose. When exotic animals are transported long distances to canned hunt facilities or housed under unregulated conditions, diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, and chronic wasting disease (which is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as “Mad Cow Disease”) can spread to nearby cattle, to local wildlife, and even to humans.
Read more about canned hunting here.
Take Action:
Pennsylvania residents, please contact your state representative and urge him or her to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.