Appeal To Halt Cruel Pigeon Shoots Rejected

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced on January 8 that it will not consider an appeal by local Pennsylvania humane officer Johnna Seeton who had requested a preliminary injunction to stop cruel and inhumane pigeon shoots conducted by the Pike Township Sportsmen's Association. The Superior Court of Berks County had previously ruled that the shoots did not violate the state’s cruelty statute as long as "reasonable efforts" are made to minimize the number of animals who are treated cruelly.

Pigeon shooters compete for money and prizes by taking aim at birds who are released one at a time from individual boxes. Many of the birds, who are often dazed from their confinement, do not fly away but are shot at close range.

An overwhelming majority of the birds are not killed immediately, but are wounded and left to suffer from their injuries, or are eventually killed by "trapper boys" who rip off their heads, stomp on them, throw them into barrels to suffocate, or use other inhumane methods of killing.

Live pigeon shoots are banned in most states.

The infamous Hegins pigeon shoot was permanently cancelled in 1999 after years of campaigns, legislative, and legal battles. However, several smaller, lesser-known pigeon shoots still take place in Berks and Schuylkill Counties.

"I have continued to monitor pigeon shoots while this case is pending," said humane officer Johnna Seeton. "I have witnessed thousands of violations of the state's cruelty statute at the Pikeville Gun Club."

The animal protection group 'Fund for Animals' argues that pigeon shoots violate Pennsylvania’s anti-cruelty statute because thousands of birds are intentionally injured and left to suffer with their wounds, sometimes for days, without any medical treatment.

"We were able to stop this barbaric and inhumane practice in Hegins and it should be stopped throughout Pennsylvania," said Heidi Prescott, the Fund's National Director. "Unfortunately, although hundreds of violations of Pennsylvania’s cruelty statute take place at these live pigeon shoots throughout the year, several pigeon shoot cases have been languishing in the courts for over a decade."

"If the courts are not going to take action to stop this cruel and illegal practice, the legislature must step up and bring the Commonwealth in line with the vast majority of states that already bans such barbaric practices," Prescott said.

© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.