NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • April 27, 2022
The United States is the only country in the world where wild animals are killed by the tens of thousands strictly for prizes and entertainment, according to the Humane Society. It estimates that before the coronavirus pandemic, there were more than 400 contests annually, accounting for an estimated 60,000 dead animals each year. The contests are increasingly controversial, criticized as blood sport. So far, eight states have outlawed the contests under pressure from conservation and animal welfare groups. [Maine has not.] Calls for a national ban got louder after a 2020 undercover investigation revealed the emergence of killing tournaments through members-only Facebook groups, raising questions about whether online contests violate state wildlife and gambling laws.