In a significant win for New York's animals, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill to ban wildlife-killing contests in New York! It has been a long fight, but now coyotes, crows, foxes, bobcats, squirrels, raccoons, and rabbits, among other animals, will be spared from violent and senseless killings.

Wildlife killing contests are brutal competitions where people compete to kill as many of a specific species as possible for a prize. There are sometimes other prizes for killing the largest or smallest animal. Coyotes are the most common victims of killing contests, but many other animals are targeted during these competitions. Not only do hundreds, sometimes thousands, of animals suffer and die for each competition, but these events send a message that these types of animals are disposable, with their carcasses tossed in garbage bins at the end of the events. 

In Defense of Animals created an alert for New York residents to contact the Governor and urge her to sign the bill to ban wildlife killing contests. Governor Hochul finally signed the bill on December 22, officially making New York the 10th state to ban wildlife-killing contests. 

You can read more about the success from our coalition's press release. We worked alongside the Humane Society of The United States, Project Coyote, and other collaborators. Now, wild animals can enjoy more peace to forage, raise their young, and simply exist. Find out more about what In Defense of Animals does for wild animals and how you can help on our Wild and Free page.

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