Canned hunting operations, also referred to as ‘shooting preserves’ or ‘game ranches,’ are private trophy hunting facilities that offer their customers the opportunity to kill exotic and native animals trapped within fenced enclosures.

The animals killed in canned hunts come from a variety of sources - private breeders, animal dealers, and even zoos. These animals are frequently hand raised and bottle fed, so most of them have lost their natural fear of people. In many facilities, the animals expect to be fed at regular times by familiar people—instead, hunters with rifles will be waiting for them at these canned hunts.

Semi-tame animals make extremely easy targets, so canned hunt operators can even offer their customers a guarantee of ‘no kill-no pay.’  The animals are guaranteed something as well— certain death.

Canned hunting is a lucrative and expanding industry. Several factors feed into this expansion: The over-breeding of captive exotic animals, the desire by some hunters for a quick and easy kill, and the incentive to bag exotic mammals provided by trophy hunting achievement awards.

As reviled as it is by non-hunters and true hunting sportsmen alike, no federal law bans canned hunting, and the majority of states allow it. The federal Animal Welfare Act doesn't regulate game preserves, hunting preserves, or these canned hunts.

Although the Endangered Species Act protects animals listed as endangered or threatened, it does not prohibit private ownership of animals and may even allow the hunting of endangered species.

At a canned hunt, the odds are so stacked against animals they do not stand any chance of survival. Canned hunts are, in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others, unethical and inhumane.

On February 8, 2005, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2005 (S. 304), which will prohibit the interstate commerce of exotic animals destined to be killed for trophies at canned hunting facilities.

“Several states have banned canned hunting of mammals,” Lautenberg noted in his statement at the introduction of S. 304. “Unfortunately, most states lack laws to outlaw this practice. Because interstate commerce in exotic animals is common, federal legislation is essential to control these cruel practices.”

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates that there are currently more than 1,000 canned hunting operations in at least 25 states.

They encourage everyone to contact their federal legislators by letter, telephone, or e-mail, urging them to take action on this bill by Senator Lautenberg.

To learn more about this practice, visit the website listed below.