Get Involved

Action Alerts & Updates

Pennsylvania: Support Bill to Stop Cruel Pigeon Shoots

It's hard to believe, but some parts of the country find it acceptable to use live animals as target practice. In Lancaster County recently, a hunting club staged an event in which live turkeys were tied to hale bales as targets for bystanders, who took aim at the birds with arrows as they tried to fly away.

Photo courtesy of Derek Goodwin

In the past, some of the refugees from these cruel pigeon shoots have found safety at our New York Shelter. Today, many of their offspring roost happily in the rafters of our barns, secure in knowing that they will never be killed for target practice by cruel shooters.

To stop the practice of using live animals as targets at staged shooting events, Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus (D, 113) and Sen. Patrick Browne (R, 16) have introduced H.B. 2130 and S.B. 1150 respectively, to ban "the use of live animals or fowl for targets at a trap shoot or block shoot." If passed, the legislation will put an end to live pigeon shoots and other events like tethered turkey shoots in Pennsylvania.

What you can do:
Please contact your Pennsylvania state representative and senator and ask them to vote yes on H.B. 2130 and S.B. 1150, respectively, to end the use of animals launched from traps or tethered for target practice.

Look up the names and contact information for all your Pennsylvania legislators here.

Calling your legislators' offices is easy. Simply tell the person answering the phone something like, "Hi, I would like to ask the [senator/representative] to vote yes on S.B. 1150 and H.B. 2130, to ban the use of trapped animals as target practice."

The legislators' staff persons will then likely ask you for your name and contact information (to verify that you are a constituent) and thank you for the call.
Speaking out for animals is that simple!