Undercover: Humane Society publishes results of coyote-killing contest in Illinois

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on Wednesday released what officials are calling the “shocking results” of a February 2023 undercover investigation into Nugget’s Night Vision Coyote Hunt, a wildlife-killing competition in Mendon, Illinois.

According to HSUS, similar hunts are taking place in the Quad Cities area (see “Background” below for a list of communities).

The HSUS investigator attended the weigh-in event that followed the 45-hour killing phase in which approximately 86 participants gunned down at least 405 coyotes. At the weigh-in, contestants gathered to compete for a $15,000 prize and celebrate among piles of dead coyotes, the investigator said.

The HSUS investigator revealed the awards were given to teams that killed the most, the heaviest and the smallest coyotes weighing just 17 pounds. The three-person team that was crowned champion for “most coyotes” slaughtered 49 coyotes, with second place bringing in 27 coyotes. The competition was organized by Nuggets Night Vision, a manufacturer of night vision and thermal imaging devices commonly used in these competitions, according to the HSUS publication.

The investigation shows teams have brought dead coyotes across state lines from Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Wisconsin. At least one Kansas coyote appeared to have had severe mange. The bodies were not examined for diseases and diseased animals were not excluded from the competition. Mange is highly contagious and can be easily spread to other wildlife, domestic dogs, and humans, according to the HSUS.

“Wild animal-killing contests are an abomination and a disgrace,” said Marc Ayers, director of the Humane Society of the United States in the state of Illinois. “The killing of coyotes for sadistic fun, games, and money does not reflect the values ​​of our state. Illinois is among the 10 worst states when it comes to wildlife-killing contests, with at least 28 contests targeting coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and crows taking place in the state in 2022…. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources must Take a stand and make our state the first in the Midwest to outlaw this cruel, unnecessary treatment of coyotes that provide vital balance to our ecosystem.

The HSUS investigator documented participants unloading bloodied coyote bodies and hanging them upside down to be weighed. A small child helped load the carcasses – sometimes struggling under the weight of the carcasses – while other small children stood nearby and watched. Coyotes ripped apart by bullets were tossed into heaps and laid out in rows to display for contestants to celebrate their prize.

“Seeing truck after truck backing into the weigh station, coyote after coyote, dripping with blood, being weighed — it was like a conveyor belt in a factory,” the undercover investigator from the Humane Society of the United States said in the press release .

On December 22, 2022, veterinarians and 18 organizations led by the Humane Society of the United States submitted a petition to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, requesting that the agency ban wildlife-killing contests. Eight states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington — have already banned wildlife-killing contests, the release said.

background

• According to HSUS, Killing contests are held throughout Illinois including Mendon, Elmwood, La Harpe, Fulton, Knoxville, Wamac, Maeystown, Marine, Taylorville, Macomb, Sherrard, Mount Vernon, Warsaw, Mason City, Cordova, Hecker, Manito, Cedar Point, Stronghurst , Oblong, Toledo, Champaign, Prairie du Rocher, Durand, Pearl City, Marion, Carbondale, East Brooklyn, Carrollton, Alexis, Port Byron and Quincy.
• One participant told the HSUS investigator that during the non-competitive hunt, he shoots coyotes and lets them rot where they fall. He said coyote bodies were worthless and were thrown away.
• Competitors achieve high kill numbers by using unfair and unsportsmanlike tactics including night vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, and electronic pagers. These tactics mimic sounds made by dependent young or prey in distress to lure animals for an easy kill. The animals are then gunned down with high-powered rifles — including AR-15s — that rip holes in the pelt and render the pelts unfit for sale.
• Because of the chaotic race to kill the most animals, often at night, contestants in the killing contest likely injure countless animals and orphaned dependent young who die of starvation, predation or exposure, the HSUS says.
• Hunters and wildlife management professionals in the US have declared killing contests Because they are unethical and warned, they damage hunters’ reputations and threaten the future of hunting, according to the HSUS.
• According to HSUS, the best available science shows that killing coyotes indiscriminately will not reduce their numbers, prevent conflict with livestock, or increase populations of wild species like deer for hunters. In fact, killing contests can increase coyote populations and conflicts with livestock by disrupting coyote pack structure.

https://fox2now.com/news/illinois/undercover-humane-society-releases-results-of-illinois-coyote-killing-contest/ Undercover: Humane Society publishes results of coyote-killing contest in Illinois