The soullessness of men...

Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow-creatures is amusing in itself. ~James Anthony Froude, Oceana, 1886

We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form. ~William Ralph Inge, Outspoken Essays, 1922

From beasts we scorn as soulless,
In forest, field and den,
The cry goes up to witness
The soullessness of men.
~M. Frida Hartley

The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot. ~Mark Twain, What Is Man, 1906

Last Thursday, America's #1 rated TV drama, CSI, featured a storyline about one of the ugliest forms of animal cruelty, canned hunting. Canned hunting is the killing of a fenced-in animal who has no chance of escape, for the sole purpose of obtaining a trophy. That's right: animals, often tame, exotic mammals, are put into an enclosure for rich individuals to "hunt."

In the CSI episode, which aired Thursday, February 10, on CBS, characters investigate the killing of a Kodiak bear found in the Nevada woods. Evidence leads them to discover that the bear was killed during an illegal canned hunt.

What Are Canned Hunts?
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 who are trapped within enclosures.

Who Are the Victims?
The animals killed in canned hunts may come from private breeders, animal dealers, or even zoos. These animals are frequently hand raised and bottle fed, so they have lost their natural fear of people. In many facilities, the animals expect to be fed at regular times by familiar people—and the shooters will be there waiting for them.
Semi-tame animals make easy targets, so canned hunt operators can offer their customers a guarantee of, "no kill-no pay." The animals are guaranteed something as well—that there will be no escape.

This is critical public exposure for an animal protection issue that deserves serious attention -- and you can help to make an even bigger impact.

1. Take action to stop canned hunts now. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) recently introduced the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, which aims to halt the interstate traffic of exotic animals for the purpose of killing or injuring them for entertainment or trophy collecting. Contact your U.S. senators today and ask them to co-sponsor this legislation

2. Educate yourself or someone you know about canned hunts. For more information on canned hunts visit http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/stop_canned_hunts/index.html

3. Spread the word. The more people who know about this issue and take action, the closer we will come to STOPPING canned hunting.