The Humane Society of the United States Applauds Bureau of Land Management for Halting Prairie Dog Killing Contest on Public Land

June 9, 2006

WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States thanked the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today for stopping a prairie dog killing contest on public land scheduled to take place in Medicine Bow, Wyoming this weekend because the organizers did not apply for a special use permit to kill the animals on public land. The BLM has a policy against issuing these permits in part because of the effect such killings may have on the endangered black-footed ferret population.

"We applaud the BLM for realizing the ecological impact such a contest might have on not only prairie dogs, but other species as well," said Casey Pheiffer, HSUS hunting issues deputy campaign manager. "Prairie dogs are a 'keystone' species who strongly influence the community structure of their habitat. A number of animals, including burrowing owls, kit foxes, and black-footed ferrets are heavily dependent on black-tailed prairie dog colonies for food or their burrows for shelter."

 The HSUS also objected to the contest on ethical grounds. "Declaring a 'winner' and offering prizes for killing the most animals embodies the type of recreational killing that the general public finds morally reprehensible," said Pheiffer. "In prairie dog kills, contestants refer to their kills as 'varmint vapor' and often receive points for long range firing and 'specialty' shots, in which participants receive rewards when a prairie dog flies into the air upon impact. During these events hundreds, if not thousands, of prairie dogs are killed. Hunters and non-hunters agree that these contests violate any ethical wildlife management principle and have no place in a humane world."

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.