It's time to End the Killing Contests in Maryland

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It's a horrific scene in Maryland after the Humane Society of the United States posted the results of the most recent wildlife killing contests. Rows upon rows of the carcasses of coyotes, red foxes, and racoons lay before the humans who happily shot them dead for a chance to be the winner. It's an absolute disgrace to witness something quite so malicious in that it is a game centered around slaughtering as many animals as you can to take home the top cash prize.

These contests are nothing more than an excuse for humans to run around with their guns and pick off animals in the name of fun. The fact is, such a sport is nothing more than an excuse to kill and we should be ashamed of the human race for allowing such an atrocity to take place. In the contests, participants are encouraged to kill as many foxes, coyotes, and racoons as they possible can within the timeframe allotted. Points are allocated based on the animal itself but also its size and weight. Unfortunately, animals like bobcats, mountain lions, and wolves can also be shot during these games which indicates that nothing is safe during these events. Participants lure animals into the open using devices that mimic the sounds of prey or the sounds of lost or frightened pups and once the target animal comes out to investigate, they are shot dead.

It's abhorrent to think that there is such a sport that takes place. One that tricks and exploits animals only to let them be shot dead for a few points towards a scoreboard. What have we become that luring animals into the open by tricking them into believing there are sick babies around is acceptable behaviour? I think what fries me even more is some of the pictures from this event show children happily dragging around the carcasses of these animals towards weighing stations. These children are being taught that this is not only acceptable, but is an appropriate form of fun. Children should NOT be subjected to these sorts of activities let alone have it promoted to them as something that is fun for all ages. 

Other states in the United States of America have enacted bans on these wildlife killing contests recognizing that they are despicable so it's time for Maryland to do the same. We cannot continue to promote the slaughter of wildlife while we are in the midst of the largest mass extinction in our existence. Coyotes and foxes are not the type of animal to overpopulate because they naturally populate enough for the environment to sustain them. These animals help to maintain a healthy ecosystem by keeping smaller animals like rabbits, mice, and rats in check. BY removing these natural predators, we are then giving these prey animals an opportunity to over populate which in turn will spur more slaughter. It's a vicious cycle entirely caused by human interference in the wild and it needs to stop.

Wildlife killing contests are sick and it's time to call them out for what they are, an excuse for humans to kill. There is no place in our society for a sport that focuses on killing as many animals as possible. It's shameful and needs to be banned. 

HAPPY VEG