Pennsylvania Legislators again have the opportunity to ban the killing of animals launched for trap shoots or tied in place for block shoots (i.e., pigeon shoots and turkey shoots). The legislation is pending.
Pennsylvania is one of the last states to practice pigeon shoots, in which shooters kill thousands of pigeons for prizes or cash. Tame pigeons are stockpiled for months prior to a pigeon shoot. The birds are typically kept in packed cages and arrive at the shoot malnourished and dehydrated.
At the shoot, the birds are usually released one at a time from traps. As the disoriented birds leave the box, waiting shooters fire rounds of shells at the animals. How is this considered sport? The birds don't stand a chance.
More than 70 percent of the pigeons are not killed outright, but fall to the ground wounded. In past shoots, children then took to the fields to rip the heads off of wounded pigeons, and slam others against the ground.
Pennsylvania has a long, controversial history of battling pigeon shoots. In 1999, the infamous Hegins pigeon shoot in Schuylkill County ended after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously ruled that humane officers could prosecute shoot participants for animal cruelty. The opinion issued by the court characterized pigeon shoots as "cruel and moronic." Now, only a handful of floundering shoots serve as reminders that the fight to end the wanton and wasteful events is not yet over.
Recently, a "sportsmen's" club in Lancaster County held a live turkey shoot, in which tame turkeys were tied to bales of hay and shot with arrows at close range. This is cruelty, not sport.
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your state Representative and Senator to urge support for legislation that would ban pigeon shoots, and end the use of animals launched from traps or tethered for target practice. This type of animal cruelty simply should not be tolerated.
Click here to look up your state representative and senator and their office phone numbers.
After you make your calls, fill in and submit the HSUS form to automatically send an e-mail to your state legislators in support of this legislation.
Your legislators receive a lot of e-mail, so it's important to personalize the subject line and message so your e-mail will stand out and have a greater impact.
MORE INFORMATION
Gun club's pigeon shoot ended, again
If you're still not sure why pigeon shoots should be banned, watch the video of a pigeon shoot. Warning: The video is pretty graphic, but once you view it, you'll have no doubt as to why this bill should be passed.
