The closing decades of the twentieth century
saw the rise of a new kind of "sport" in North America: the
canned hunt. Although canned hunts advertise under a variety
of names -- most frequently hunting preserves, game
ranches, or shooting preserves -- they can be identified by
the two traits they all have in common: they charge their
clients a fee to kill an animal; and they violate the
generally accepted standards of the hunting community, which
are based on the concept of "fair chase." In some cases
animals may be shot in cages or within fenced enclosures; in
others they may be shot over feeding stations; some of the
animals are tame and have little fear of humans, while others
may be tied to a stake or drugged before they are shot. But
whatever method is used, the defining characteristic of a
canned hunt is that the odds have been artificially
manipulated against the animal so heavily that the notion of
fair chase is subverted. (Michael Markarian)
While AZA-accredited zoos are prohibited from selling
directly to hunting ranches, they are permitted to sell to animal
dealers, who may then sell to individual collectors, roadside zoos
and hunting ranches.
Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests another outlet
for unwanted tigers is canned hunts. This is where they are fenced
into a corner and hunters who pay up to $25,000 are guaranteed to be
able to shoot a tiger. The cats are kept hungry before the shoot and will approach
people for food which makes it easier to kill
them. In one video of a lion canned hunt, a lioness is drawn into
close range by luring her with her own cubs, then shot.
More advanced variations of canned hunts provide
remote controlled guns that can be focused and fired from your
computer in the convenience of your home or office.
There is no federal law governing canned hunting
operations. The Animal Welfare Act does not regulate game preserves,
hunting preserves or canned hunts. The Endangered Species Act does
not prohibit private ownership of endangered animals and even allows
for the hunting of endangered species with the appropriate permit.
This is considered a sport and is legal in this
country.
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America 2011
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