ARIZONA, USA — A group of Arizona conservationists has filed a petition with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission seeking to ban hound hunting across the state, arguing that the practice poses significant threats to endangered wildlife.
The petition, submitted on Nov. 25, calls for prohibiting dog-assisted hunting of bears, mountain lions, cottontail rabbits, foxes, muskrats, and other mammals, while excluding birds.
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Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, highlighted the potential dangers to protected species.
"Hunting hounds often roam miles through public lands, far from their handlers," McSpadden said. "This creates substantial risks for endangered species like Mexican gray wolves, jaguars, and ocelots."
The conservationists in the petition argue that even when hunters do not directly target endangered animals, the presence of hunting dogs can cause severe stress on animals.
"Dogs chasing species like jaguars or ocelots can lead to exhaustion, increased vulnerability, and potential serious injury," McSpadden explained.
A key concern is the use of GPS technology in hunting, which the petition suggests may violate fair chase hunting principles.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department defines fair chase as an "ethical, sportsmanlike and lawful pursuit and taking of free-range wildlife in a manner that does not give a hunter or an angler improper or unfair advantage over such wildlife."
"Traditional hound hunting included a hunter on foot or on horse who would stay within hearing distance of his dogs," McSpadden said. "GPS, has taken over completely, so dogs are roaming as far as 10 miles away, and the threats to endangered species has increased greatly."
Chuck Podolak, president of Conserve and Protect Arizona, pushed back against the petition.
"This appears to be an attempt to make wildlife and hunting decisions based on emotion rather than scientific data," Podolak said. "Hound hunting with or without GPS on a dog's collar is still an absolute game of chance."
Podolak maintained that hound hunting remains challenging and regulated.
"There's this impression that crazy guys are going out and killing animals," Podolak said. "And it's not. It's done within a very rigid and scientific framework."
According the AZGFD, the petition must first pass a 15-day administrative review.
If accepted, the Game and Fish Commission will have 60 days to consider the proposed ban.
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