Wildlife Killing Contests are set up to eradicate predatory animals / animals deemed pestilence by  humanity. Animals like bobcats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and even squirrels, are targeted by hunters over a pre-determined period of time. Contestants are urged to slaughter as many of these animals as possible and are awarded prizes / points for their kills. At the end, hundreds if not thousands of animals have been killed and someone is awarded the top prize for the event. Essentially, it's all about killing innocent animals for "sport". 

These contests are sickening. To think that there are so many people who are so eager to shoot and kill animals, disrupting the balance of their habitat and ending the lives of so many animals who didn't deserve their ending. These contests glorify animal slaughter and devalue the existence of animals that are crucial to their habitats. Remember, the more predators you take out, the more herbivores / prey species become abundant. What happens then? Decisions are made to eradicate these animals to "protect biodiversity" which would never have been a problem had we not permitted the needless slaughter of predatory animals for sport. See a pattern?

A new bill was introduced in the United States House of Representatives aiming to ban these horrific contests on public land. If the bill is passed, these contests will be banned on approximately 500 million acres of public land. There are currently 10 U.S. states that have banned wildlife killing contests, recognizing their needlessness and complete disregard for animals. If this bill is passed, this will hopefully prevent future contests from even being proposed and will act as a deterrent to those organizing them. It certainly sends the message that these contests are cruel, senseless, and support the glorification of animal brutality. 

It's time to end these horrific contests and stop manipulating the animal kingdom for our own gain. With the plethora of entertainment options available to us today, running around slaughtering frightened animals for fun seems a bit pathetic, doesn't it? Head to the link at the top of this post for the original story from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS.

Decades of advocacy have finally brought a ban on the export of live animals in Great Britain. This monumental victory comes after the bill made its way through the final stages of Parliament after many stumbling blocks along the way. The success of this initiative has many contributing organizations,  but the Compassion In World Farming International (CIWF) organization particularly has been fighting against live exports across our globe for over 50 years.

Many undercover investigations helped influence both the public, and the U.K. Government to take action. The export of live animals is undeniably cruel and there have been many documented instances around our world where it is blaringly obvious that this practice is unsafe, outdated, and needless. Ships carrying thousands of cows or sheep have capsized in the ocean, plunging thousands of frightened, innocent animals in to the freezing cold ocean to their deaths. These animals are subjected to long, cramped journeys with little to no access to food, water, or even enough space to move around or lay down. This causes so much stress, anxiety, and fear in these poor animals. In some cases, animals are dying during transit, dropping and forcing remaining animals to step on or over corpses during their journey.

There are simply too many flaws and dangers involved in transporting live animals on these grueling journeys, and time and time again, we've seen the horrors of what can go wrong. The visual in my mind of thousands of frightened animals being thrust in to the ocean to die is something that leaves me so unsettled. It's horrifying to imagine that their last moments were freezing to death or drowning in utter fear. Worst of all, this is the end of their journey after however long they were kept in captivity and inevitably to be sent for slaughter. We cannot in good conscience breed animals only to send them on perilous journeys to be slaughtered. It's so unethical; and immoral.

Congratulations to Great Britain on finally recognizing that live animal exports are abhorrent and the actual definition of animal cruelty. We need more of this around the globe ASAP! Head to the link at the top of this post for the original story.