South Florida Animal Rights Activists Decry Penning of Wild Foxes and Coyotes - Capturing Wild Animals, Then Setting Dogs Upon Them to Tear Apart and Kill

South Florida Animal Rights Activists Decry Penning
June 20, 9:39 AMWest Palm Beach Animal Rights Examiner Michelle Rivera

Activists from South Florida will be attending The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meeting on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 to hear arguments for ban on wildlife penning.

"Penning" is the practice of throwing wild animals into pens and setting dogs upon them. Wild foxes and coyotes are trapped in their natural habitats and transported, sometimes across state lines.

Penning involves releasing the foxes or coyotes from their pens into an unfamiliar environment. The dogs, having been worked up into a frenzy to get them started; chase the animals to the point of exhaustion. The event can go on for several hours a day over more than one day, depending on how long the wild animals, and dogs, can hold out. Once the wild fox or coyote is caught, the dogs are free to tear it apart. If the wild animal is lucky enough to survive the chase, it is returned to the pen area so that it can be used for bait once again. It does not matter if they are wounded, they are used again the next day anyway.


The hunters who take part in the blood sport of penning say that it is part of a training program to teach hunting dogs to track target animals. The dogs compete and are judged on how well they perform during the chase, however, so animal activists say it is a cruel blood sport that should be banned.


According to Florida state statute 828.122, also known as The Animal Fighting Act, baiting is illegal in the state of Florida. The pertinent component of the statute defines baiting as “to attack with violence, to provoke, or to harass an animal with one or more animals for the purpose of training an animal for or to cause an animal to engage in fights with or among other animals…”


Since the coyotes, and/or foxes clearly are fighting for their lives, animal rights activists charge that this statute applies to penning. Proponents of penning argue that pens fall under the exemptions to the baiting law. However, if that is true, penning is in the same category of sport as those activities prohibited and the spirit of the law must be taken into consideration.


Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Legislative Representative Jennifer Hobgood says “Last fall, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrested 12 individuals for illegal activity related to fox pens. Also during this time a family living next door to a pen in Holt, Florida witnessed coyotes being repeatedly torn apart by dogs up against fence lines.” The neighborhood has organized an effort to stop coyote and fox penning and has a website called Training Not Torture where people can access a video.

The HSUS asserts that the vast number of Floridians would not condone this activity. “People who participate in fox and coyote penning have attended past meetings in large numbers, which makes it appear that more people support this activity than the few who actually do.” Says Hobgood.

Animal rights advocates and hunters who engage in penning are expected to square off at the meeting which is expected to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Orlando Marriot in Lake Mary.