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The sad fact is that some people like to kill for fun. Not for food or even for "pest" control (which would be bad enough - see below) , but just for fun. The illustration here is from the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) NEWS, Fall 1993, Vol 38, No. 4. Here is a quote from an article by Betsy Bird on page 12. "...In present day killing contests - usually organized, as a fund raiser, by a local gun club or other private organization - participants receive points and prizes up to $10,000 for killing animals. In some contests thousands of animals are killed each year: at Nucla, Colorado's Top Dog World Championship Prarie Dog Contest, 3000-4000 prarie dogs (are killed)..." The good news is that they haven't held the shoot in Nucla for several years, but the bad news is that this was because a plague more or less wiped out the prairie dog population there. The worse news is that prairie dog "target" shoots have been held in Brighton, Colorado (near Denver) and in Wray, Colorado (near the Nebraska/Kansas border). If you'd like to learn more and help protect Prairie Dogs, visit the The Prairie Dog Coalition Website

View other nature and wildlife images by Bob Atkins from the Gallery Index Page