These Hunts Should be Canned

Mr. Johnston is President of the Connecticut Humane Society.

The Connecticut Humane Society does not support hunting for sport. The Society believes that there is no sport in killing animals, but there is a new version of this practice that even some hunting organizations consider unethical. Biologists find it both disturbing and potentially dangerous. These groups are concerned that the practice of "canned hunts," the trophy-shooting of captive animals, violates the ethical beliefs of conventional hunters and can be harmful to wildlife.

Canned hunts, while advertised as rugged, outdoor adventures, actually are conducted by keeping animals captive in a hunting preserve. Often hunters are guaranteed that they will leave their hunting experience with a "trophy" of successful hunt; if they do not kill an animal, they get their money back.

But sportsmen's organizations say that those who visit these animal preserves are not truly hunting. Animals are kept on the hunting preserve through fencing systems. Sometimes they are fed at a designated place—even at the same time and place each day, in some cases. In effect, they become tame animals arriving for their dinner in a location disclosed to the hunters. Instead of the animals having what traditional sport hunters view as a fair chance to run, they are captive victims. Hunting groups say that the principal of fair chase is key to ethical hunting practices. They believe that the reality should be that, more often than not, it is the animal and not the hunter who is pleased with the outcome. They view hunting for food, not trophies, as the legitimate practice of the sport. Under these guidelines, canned hunts are far from the sport these groups envision.

Biologists say that the nature of keeping animals on a hunting preserve can lead to disease. Since the animals are destined to be killed, the operators have no incentive to offer proper veterinary care. Yet these are not wild animals roaming free. As a result, as canned hunts have become more popular, there have been diagnoses of diseases including tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease (which is similar to "mad cow disease") in both wild and captive animals near these preserves. While these preserves have fencing requirements, the nature of animals and the fact of human error virtually guarantee that some animals will make their way into the wild.

The Connecticut Humane Society, while opposed to all hunting, finds the practice of conducting canned hunts particularly troubling. There is a bill before Congress, the federal Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, which would outlaw such hunting preserves. While we know of no such "vacation destinations" in our state, the Society urges state residents to support the federal legislation and to urge would-be "hunters" to stay away from canned hunts. Animals deserve to be far more than someone's trophy.