Nevada Moves to Sanction Coyote Killing Contests, Despite Fierce Opposition
The Nevada Department of Wildlife Board of Wildlife Commissioners recently voted six to three in favor of regulating controversial coyote contests, paving the way for these to become state-sanctioned activities.
This comes despite a petition and a poll indicating over 70% of Nevadans wanted to outright ban these contests.
The contests would run from September to the end of March, while requiring participants to hold a valid hunting, permit or trapping license.
Unsanctioned coyote contests have had cash prizes for participants with the highest number of kills.
A group calling itself the Nevada Predator Hunters Association has argued it was doing population control for free, while animal activists have underlined the “intrinsic value of predator species and their important ecological roles.”
“This has been a long process that started with a petition to end coyote contests. The Commission formed a committee to look into the best solution, and the decision was made to regulate contests,” an NDOW PIO wrote to media in a statement.
