Ducks and geese in North America are a bit safer, now that "celebrity" hunter Jeff Foiles has been banned from hunting for three years in Canada and two in the U.S. following convictions for cruelty to animals.

Foiles, who sells videos of his hunts online, was reportedly seen in one of his taped hunts holding up a wounded duck, wrenching the duck's neck, and opening the bird's mouth while making quacking sounds. According to a news report, "In another hunt videotaped the next day, Foiles manipulates a wounded duck for four minutes, whacking it on the head with a duck call, covering its head with an empty shell box and playing peek-a-boo. He later places his fingers over the bird's nostrils and holds its beak closed while asking 'Is this how you want to die?'"

schrodingersduck | cc by 2.0

Reportedly, a wildlife expert testified during Foiles' hearing that the birds he abused were "conscious, alive and suffering extreme pain and stress."

Considering that people who find it fun to torture and kill animals often take their issues out on human victims as well, we should all be thankful that Foiles is spending 13 months behind bars.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Gage Skidmore | CC by 2.0

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is taking heat today after The Washington Post published the racial slur that was once painted in large letters on a rock at the gated entrance to his family's secluded hunting camp.

There has been some debate over when exactly the offensive name was removed from the rock, but left out of the debate so far is whether the activities that continue to take place at the camp are offensive, no matter what it is called. Considering that the governor lists on his website that one of his goals is "encouraging stronger families and healthier citizens," perhaps he should consider that hunting disrupts and destroys animals' families and that it's not so great at promoting the health of hunters who fall out of tree stands or accidentally shoot each other in the leg, not that we're crying much over that aspect.   

While someone has given the offensive gate marker a much-needed coat of paint, there's no hiding the fact that Perry and his hunting buddies have blood on their hands.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Michael Lusk of the National Wildlife Refuge System isn't exactly thinking outside the (ammo) box when it comes to managing populations of wild pigs. Lusk advocates shooting pigs, and some lawmakers agree with him. Pennsylvania and Tennessee are making it easier for hunters to shoot wild pigs, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation allowing hunters to shoot pigs from helicopters. Now, officials at the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina are pushing for pig-hunting restrictions to be lifted there as well. 

Photo: Blue moon in her eyes/cc by 2.0

 
If you're thinking that a hailstorm of bullets isn't exactly the most humane way of managing wild pig populations, you're not alone. PETA is encouraging wildlife refuges, as well as any other areas where pigs are unwelcome, to make simple adjustments, such as erecting inexpensive fencing and sealing trash containers in areas that the pigs frequent. As long as the environment is attractive for pigs, killing will not solve the problem because more pigs will simply move in from surrounding areas. "This is a problem that humans have created," said Stephanie Bell of PETA's Cruelty Investigations Department. "And unfortunately, the pigs are paying the price."

You can send a polite e-mail to the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge and ask officials to choose humane options for handling pigs. For advice on peacefully coexisting with wildlife, see PETA's "Living in Harmony" page.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

jinterwas/CC by 2.0

A hunter in Belarus wound up in the hospital after he was shot by a fox he had wounded and was trying to kill with the butt of his rifle. As the determined fox fought back, she pulled the trigger of the gun with her paw. The bullet struck the hunter's leg, and the fox made her escape.

Here's hoping that the fox is recovering and that the hunter has learned his lesson. If not, the next time they come face to face, she just might take a trophy for her den.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Imagine if you could be fired from your job just for supporting animal rights on your own time. That's what Joe Hashman believes happened to him. The vegan anti-hunting activist was sacked from his job as a gardener at the Orchard Park Garden Centre in the U.K. the day after ghastly TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright pleaded guilty to charges of attending an illegal rabbit-hunting event. Dickson Wright was brought up on charges in part because of undercover video taken by Hashman. The owners of the garden center are known to be hunting supporters.

Hashman has filed a suit, which has now gone before the court, and a pre-hearing review has been called to determine whether his animal rights positions constitute a "philosophical belief" that's protected under the law. Here's what he had to say—judge for yourself:

We're pulling for you, Joe! No one should be afraid to speak out against injustice. Animals have rights—and so do the people who defend them. To find out how to work within the law to help animals, check out PETA's activism guide.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Not content with bludgeoning fish to death, Sarah Palin has now gone out and shot herself a caribou on her reality TV show Sarah Palin's Alaska. PETA V.P. Dan Mathews blasted the trigger-happy Alaskan: "Sarah seems to think that resorting to violence and blood and guts may lure people into watching her boring show," he said, "But the ratings remain as dead as the poor animals she shoots."

Ouch!

After successfully "taking" a caribou (it took her almost as many tries as it did for her to graduate from college), Palin proudly proclaimed that taking the life of another sentient being gave her "a great feeling of accomplishment."

We rather think that the accomplishment of these Alaskans, who reportedly saved four deer who were in danger of drowning, is a bit more impressive.

Written by Alisa Mullins

American Idol season seven runner-up Kristy Lee Cook is doing anything she can to get her "15 Minutes of Shame." In her new television show on Versus (formerly the Outdoor Life Network), Kristy is traveling around the country shooting animals. It sounds like she must have had those tired old defenses of hunting hammered into her as a kid, because she isn't embarrassed to float the incredibly old saw that hunters somehow help animals … by killing them while they're in the woods with their families minding their own business.

We hope Kristy will realize that her quest for fame would be better served by following in the footsteps of two of her fellow Idol alums-turned-country-stars. Vegetarian and Idol winner Carrie Underwood, for instance, has won five Grammy Awards and had 13 straight number one singles, while Kellie Pickler—our 2009 Sexiest Vegetarian winner—sold more than 800,000 copies of her debut album. And sensational Simon Cowell condemns fur, promotes spaying and neutering, and shot a public service announcement urging people not to leave dogs in hot cars.

Now is the time for Kristy to use her powerful voice as a weapon and hang up her gun collection for good.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

We are still receiving calls, e-mails, and blog comments about Anapka, the donkey who was recently hoisted up on a parasail and spent a terrifying 30 minutes in the air, braying for help, before crash landing in the ocean and being dragged across the beach in a promotional stunt. Great news: Anapka's days of flying are over after the British newspaper The Sun bought her in response to an onslaught of outraged reader demand.

Vets gave this personable animal a clean bill of health and offers to adopt her and get her into a safe, permanent home are pouring in.

Would you like to help other donkeys who have been abused and hurt? Oh, yes! Please check out the remarkable work of our friends at Animal Rahat.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

marfis75 / CC by 2.0

Up until today, it was legal for Florida residents to acquire wild foxes, bobcats, and coyotes, corral them in pens, and then set dogs upon them to rip them apart. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to put an end to "penning," effective immediately.

When we posted an action alert about this issue, people were appalled, and the response was overwhelming. Believe it or not, penning is defended by some hunters as a way to train dogs and get them "thirsty" for blood. Hunters kill millions of wonderful animals in cold blood every year, so it's no surprise that some would find cruel penning acceptable. Is it any wonder that some young people are disconnected from any compassion for wildlife?

Please send thanks to the FWC commissioners for not letting any more foxes, bobcats, or coyotes be torn to shreds. Please spread the word to family and friends so that we can let the commissioners know how important their decision is.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Starting with Tricky Dick, every president in office has issued proclamations supporting America's "sportsmen and women," i.e. wildlife killers. President Obama recently followed suit by naming September 26 "National Hunting and Fishing Day."

In response, PETA president Ingrid E. Newkirk has asked President Obama to declare a "National Wildlife Amnesty Day" in honor of the 95 percent of us who prefer to shoot wildlife with cameras, not guns. That's right: Only a puny 5 percent of Americans stalk, maim, and slaughter deer, bears, and other animals—and many former fishers have cast their rods aside after learning that fish sea kittens feel pain.

Folks, "wildlife management" and "conservation" are euphemisms used to describe programs that ensure inflated numbers of animals for hunters to harass, maim, and kill. If left alone, animal populations would regulate their own numbers. Those who truly care about wildlife donate money to save habitats—without expecting a dead body as a trophy in return.

I can think of a handful of descriptors for these men, but "conservationists" isn't one of them.

Written by Karin Bennett