Help End Wildlife Killing Contests on Public Lands

In a major step forward for wildlife conservation and common decency 16 members of the United States House of Representatives have co-sponsored recently reintroduced legislation for a federal ban on horrifically cruel wildlife killing contests.

The Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests Act of 2024, led by Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee, would prohibit the organization, sponsorship, and participation in wildlife killing contests on more than 500 million acres of U.S. public lands. 

Every year in the United States thousands of animals are violently slaughtered for “fun,” during wildlife killing contests. 

Like dogfighting, these murder-for-sport events only attract a fringe segment of society and are not typically observed by the general public. Unlike dogfighting, unfortunately, these contests are legal in 40 U.S. states. 

The animals killed for prizes in this twisted “sport” include all types of native North American wildlife including coyotes, foxes, prairie dogs, squirrels, wolves, mountain lions, rabbits and even crows and other birds. 

The participants in these contests compete to kill as many animals as possible, typically without any cap on the number they slaughter, and they are awarded prizes for categories such as the most killed, the largest, or the smallest kill. 

The animals killed in these contests are often considered pests with no legal protections and their bodies are usually dumped like trash after the end of the contest. 

Species Unite campaigned for years to end this violent blood sport in our home state of New York, achieving success in 2023 when New York became the 10th state to outlaw wildlife killing contests. With your help, we are confident that a federal ban on public lands is within reach! 

Please help us amplify our victory on the national level by writing to your representatives and asking them to co-sponsor this bill today! 

The current co-sponsors include: Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Cori Bush (MO-1), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Raul Grijalva (AZ-7), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Betty McCollum (MN-4), Grace Meng (NY-6), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Katie Porter (CA-47), Melanie Stansbury (NM-1), Dina Titus (NV-1), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) - if your representative is on this list you can send them a letter thanking them for their compassion and dedication to protecting wildlife!