If you told the majority of Utahns, except those who engage in the activity, that we have animal fighting contests taking place in Utah, they might respond with shock and disgust. To be sure, animal fighting is now illegal in 50 states, including ours. So it might be reasonable to assume that if you told those same people that we have wildlife killing contests in Utah, that their reaction might be similar.
These contests take place in many of our counties. Nationwide, they involve the indiscriminate killing of any number of species -- such as coyotes, fox, rabbits, wolves, cougars, bobcats, crows and so on. In our state, coyotes are the species most likely to be targeted.
Contests are advertised as one might advertise a carnival or sports tournament. A participant must have a hunting permit though most would agree that this is not in keeping with the ethics of hunting. They are supported by some local businesses that allow posters to be displayed advertising the event or even donate prizes. They are open to even the youngest of children if they are able to manage firing a gun and have adult supervision. Prizes may be awarded including money, trophies and guns. In the case of coyotes, our state inadvertently promotes these mass killings by offering fifty dollars for every coyote taken any time of year and anywhere in the state. Once the animals are counted and measured to determine winners in whatever categories are conjured up, the bodies are summarily disposed of.
One rationalization used to justify these killing contests is the reduction of animals that have been known to take livestock on occasion. But this argument ignores the science that tells us that small predators like coyotes and foxes also control the population of rodents. It also ignores the indisputable science that has shown that the more we attempt to reduce these predator numbers, the more of them respond by filling in the niche left by the competition. Furthermore, those that take over a territory where a competitor has been killed, have larger litters than if the presiding animal had remained alive. So if controlling coyotes, for example, is your aim, then killing them in large numbers during a contest defeats that purpose.
If you are a taxpayer and voter and believe that natural processes should control wildlife populations as has been the case for centuries and you like the idea of iconic wild animals roaming the outdoors freely, then write or call your representative or someone at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and respectfully tell them that you have heard that Utah has wildlife killing contests and that you oppose this activity for whatever reason motivates you.
Paul Zuckerman, Salt Lake City
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