Captive Hunting
Merlin ID: 19256
Caption
A hunter posing with a wildebeest he shot on a captive hunting ranch in South Africa.
Captive hunts are the very opposite of “fair chase.” Shooters at captive hunts pay to kill animals—even endangered species—trapped behind fences. State laws and regulations on this practice vary widely.
Animals from breeders, dealers, and even zoos or circuses may end up at captive hunts. Often the animals are hand raised and bottle fed, so they aren’t afraid of people—although they can’t escape their “pay per kill” fate.
Even when the operations have large enclosures, they lure animals with food to a place where a shooter waits. They are so unsporting that hunting groups like Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young, and the Izaak Walton League oppose them.
Captive hunts also threaten cattle and wildlife with disease, while the owners earn big fees.
Trophy hunting, canned hunting
Imaged taken during an undercover investigation by HSUS staff.
Credit
The HSUS
Copy credit and caption