Coyote & fuchs Penning: A Blood "Sport" That Must End 

Charlie Crist Delivers Perfect Response To Rick Scott On Climate Change

AWKWARD: GOP Congressman Mistakes U.S. Officials For Indian Nationals

Clinton: Putin \'Bears Responsibility\' For Malaysia Plane Crash

Republican Voters Want To Impeach The President. Good Luck With That.

7 Ways That You (Yes, You) Could End Up On A Terrorist Watch List

Mark Cuban Threatens To Dump Companies That Move Offshore

Elon Musk Is Making Good On Promises To Stephen Colbert

FBI Investigating Ford Engineer Over Possible Espionage

Russian Sanctions Spark AK-47 Buying Frenzy In U.S.

CHARTS: How Much More Expensive Life Has Gotten Since We Last Raised The Min. Wage

Sean Hannity Goes On Wild Screaming Fit At Palestinian Guest

BuzzFeed Reviewing Benny Johnson\'s Work Following Plagiarism Charges

Jeremy Scahill On Media Coverage Of Gaza: \'We\'ve Hit All-Time Lows\'

Rachel Maddow\'s Description Of Botched Execution Will Give You Nightmares

AP Journalists Saw Rebels With BUK Missiles Hours Before MH17 Crashed

Israel, Hamas Agree To Temporary Break In Fighting

U.S. Evacuates Embassy In Libya Amid Clashes

U.S. Ambassador: More Than 15,000 Russian Troops Amassed Along Ukraine Border

UNEARTHED: Ancient Carving Bearing Scars Of Religious Revolution

\'Hot Jupiters\' Cast Doubt On Planet Theories

Sex Geckos Circle The Earth In Out-Of-Control Russian Satellite

Astronomers Size Up Alien Planet Like Never Before

Obama To Sign Bill Making It Legal To Unlock Your Cell Phone

You\'re Helping Mark Zuckerberg Become The World\'s Richest Person

These Vibrating Smart Shoes Tell You Where To Turn

New Sleep Gadget Tracks Pretty Much Everything In Your Bedroom

9 Things You\'re Doing That Drive Your Doctor Crazy

Ebola Outbreak Spreads To Africa\'s Most Populous Country

First Ebola Patient From Sierra Leone Capital Is On The Run

7 Meaningful Compliments That Have Nothing To Do With How You Look

The Country\'s Best Burger Comes From A Chain You\'ve Probably Never Heard Of

Hipsters, You Can Brew Your Coffee In Your Mason Jars

The Only Hot Fudge Recipe You\'ll Ever Need

15,000 Households In Detroit Have Had Their Water Shut Off. You Can Help Where The Government Won\'t

My Wish For My Unborn Child...And Girls And Women Worldwide

Meet The Lawyer Who Decided To Battle Racism Outside Of The Courtroom

Next Spelman College President Beverly Tatum

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost\'s signature lineup of contributors

Kirk DouglasShimon PeresPrincess Haya Al HusseinQueen Rania of Jordan

Camilla H. Fox is the Founding Director of Project Coyote and a wildlife consultant.

Coyote & Fox Penning: A Blood "Sport" That Must End

Read More: Cockfighting , Coyote Penning , Coyotes , Dog Fighting , Fox Penning , Foxes , Michael Vick Animal Cruelty , Green News

When a famous NFL quarterback, Michael Vick, admitted he was the owner-operator of a dog fighting ring, most Americans were shocked and rightly outraged. We\'ve laid down the law that entertaining ourselves by pitting one animal against another in bloody combat is cruel and unethical - and demanded that it be illegal in all 50 states. However, few Americans are aware there is "entertainment" that is even nastier than dog or cockfighting, and is actually legal in several Midwestern and Southeastern states. It\'s called penning and it involves sending packs of domestic dogs into a fenced-off enclosure to chase to exhaustion and often tear apart a captive coyote or fox. Penning has existed for decades but, ironically, may have benefited by the fact that few have ever heard of it.

Until now. This sadistic practice is beginning to enter public consciousness in a number of states including Indiana and Florida and a more constructive debate is ensuing. In his column ("Let\'s put an end to pens for coyotes and foxes", 6.18.10) Eric Ernst of the

"They may call it hunting, but that\'s an insult to real hunters. In this case, wild coyotes or foxes are trapped, packed and shipped to fenced areas where they are turned loose to run for their lives, day after day, from a pack of dogs. If the dogs don\'t maul them to death, the wild animals die of disease. Incredibly, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, an agency entrusted with managing the state\'s natural resources, has sanctioned the practice for more than 20 years. That could change soon. Next week in Orlando, the commission will decide whether to ban the fox/coyote pens, phase them out by 2013 or let them continue to operate under stricter rules. The vote here is to ban."

In Florida, a recent undercover investigation of penning operations led to the arrest of 12 people and the issuance of 46 citations for various violations related to the illicit black-market trade in live foxes and coyotes for penning purposes. Public outcry then led to a temporary statewide ban on the practice in February. Now the Commission will decide whether to regulate or ban this practice altogether.

Project Coyote and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) along with more than 60 scientists, wildlife biologists, veterinarians, ethicists, and attorneys, have sent a formal letter calling on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to abolish "penning" at the upcoming hearing.

The letter, endorsed by internationally prominent scientists Dr. Michael Soule and Dr. Reed Noss and ethicists Dr. Holmes Rolston, III and Dr. Dale Jamieson states, "We believe that the FWC needs to take a firm stand in banning this practice altogether. If the proposed rule (to regulate pens) is approved, the FWC will be legalizing a practice that runs counter to fundamental concepts of wildlife management and violates the principle of fair chase."

Wildlife agencies in several other states have serious concerns about penning, including transmission of diseases such as rabies. In 2008, the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies passed a resolution urging the "adoption of state-by-state regulations prohibiting the importation or interstate movement of foxes and coyotes for the purpose of stocking coursing pens or for release and pursuit by hounds outside of coursing pens."

Americans recognize that dog fighting and cockfighting are unacceptably cruel and that such spectator events don\'t have a place in civilized society. How different is penning? As Ernst summed it up: "Penning isn\'t sport. It\'s slaughter. Just ask the real hunters."

If you live in Florida, please attend and testify at the upcoming FWC meeting in Lake Mary (near Orlando) in support of a permanent ban on all coyote/fox pens statewide. Tell your Florida friends to attend too! If you cannot attend, email or write to the FWC. Penning supporters are a very small, but very vocal minority in Florida. The FWC needs to hear from Florida residents and visitors, who want to see coyote/fox pens abolished.

It\'s time again for society to stand up, and shout a collective NO to another cruel, unethical and dangerous blood sport -and make penning illegal in all 50 states. Our shock and outrage can help relegate coyote and fox pens to their rightful place in America\'s dark past.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is accepting public comments on the issue until June 23rd. Comments can be submitted online at: myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Fox_CoyotePublicWorkshops.asp

More information about the June 23rd hearing in Lake Mary, Florida can be found here: http://myfwc.com/COMMISSION/Comm_2010.htm#June

Follow Camilla Fox and Project Coyote on Facebook and on Twitter.

Sometimes we all need a nice pleasant escape from the painful problems of the world. At HuffPost Green, we think there is no sure-fire way...

Proof That Alberta Drivers Are The Worst At Parking

Toronto Police Officer Dances Like Nobody Is Watching

\'Preventing Poverty\' Not Allowed For Charities, Canada Revenue Says

Baird\'s Tweets On Israel And Gaza Leave Out Something Sort Of Important

Doctors Find Sex Toy Stuck In Woman\'s Vagina For 10 Years

Family With Triplets Fighting Cancer Seek A Temporary Toronto Home

Flight Turned Back To Toronto After Alleged Threat

\'Avengers\' 2 Comic-Con Footage Offers \'Darker,\' \'Incredible\' Look At \'Age Of Ultron\'

A Very Small Amount Of \'Ant-Man\' Footage Just Screened At Comic-Con

American Doctor In Africa Tests Positive For Ebola

New York Times Editorial Board Calls For Legalization Of Marijuana

Shocking Photos Of Destruction In Gaza As Thousands Return Home During Truce

John Boehner Leans On \'Worst Pop Singer Ever\' For Talking Points On Jobs

"The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.