Darien CT – Due to loopholes in Indiana’s wildlife regulations, countless numbers of coyotes and foxes are being trapped and killed for recreational pursuits. To make matters worse, the state currently has no laws identifying cruelty to wild animals, such as coyotes and red foxes.

Hunting enthusiasts are paying a fee to running pen operators to train their hunting dogs. The red foxes and coyotes are lured into traps to only be released to face a pack of hunting dogs.

“The aim of this violent training is to prompt domesticated dogs forced to hunt to seek out and rip apart animals whose place in nature should be secured,” Priscilla Feral says, president of Friends of Animals.

Out of nearly seven million residents, only 4.1 percent (254,000) of the population is composed of licensed hunters. These hunters are essentially manipulating the law ““ and the state is turning a blind eye.

What the state fails to recognize is that out of its nearly seven million residents, there are an estimated two million who are wild-life watchers. Many residents are not even aware that these running pen operations, which are solely used to entice a battle between wildlife and domesticated animals, are a result of a minority of voters.

While other states have rejected this vicious training or “sport,” Indiana has allowed this to continue, catering to the interests of a small minority of licensed, resident hunters, whose license fees are channeled to the state’s wildlife agency.

On 16 March, a meeting is scheduled to take place by the Indiana Natural Resource Commission. We at Friends of Animals urge you to contact NRC officials and Indiana’s governor right away and persuade these officials to prohibit the capture of foxes and coyotes for the purpose of training hunting dogs.

NRC Officials:

Jennifer Kane
jkane@nrc.in.gov
(317) 232-4699

Sandra Jensen
sjensen@nrc.in.gov
(317) 232-4229

Office of Governor Mitch Daniels
200 W. Washington St #206
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2731
(317) 232-4567
mdaniels@gov.in.gov