We need your voice at the Arizona Wildlife Commission meeting on December 6 to protect Arizona’s wildlife and public lands. Last week, we partnered with other wildlife organizations to introduce a petition to the commission that would ban the unethical and harmful practice of using dog packs to hunt mountain lions, bears, bobcats, and other mammals.
Already, radical pro-trophy hunting groups are taking action. They plan to pack the room so they can spread misinformation, like stating that this petition will ban all use of dogs in hunting (it doesn’t).
They’re trying to kill this petition before the commission even considers it.
We need your support to ensure the truth prevails. If you live in Arizona, how up to attend the commission meeting in support of wildlife, and send them a message stating you want them to consider this issue.
🗓 When: 8 a.m. December 6, 2024
📍 Where: Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W Carefree Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85086 (or a regional office)
📝 How: To address the commission, arrive by 8 a.m. to complete a speaker’s card. (These should also be available at regional Game & Fish offices.) Public comments are first on the agenda.
If you don’t live in Arizona or you do and can’t attend in person, make sure you email the commission using this form from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Talking points for the meeting:
- Protect wildlife and public safety: Dog-pack hunting puts Arizona’s wildlife—including sensitive and federally protected species like jaguars, ocelots, and Mexican gray wolves—at risk. This practice also endangers hikers, families, and pets enjoying public lands.
- Support fair and ethical hunting: Hound hunting violates the principles of fair chase, relying on GPS collar tracking to give hunters an unfair advantage.
- Modernize like other states have: Several states have banned this cruel practice. Arizona has the opportunity to modernize its policies to reflect public values and protect its incredible biodiversity.
- Thank the commission for their past advocacy: The commission has a history of leadership on ethical hunting issues. In 2019 commissioners banned wildlife-killing contests, acknowledging that such events violated ethical hunting standards and in 2022 they banned the use of game cameras for hunting, recognizing the technology’s violation of fair chase principles. A ban on dog pack hunting would build on this foundation.
Make your voice heard and encourage others to join! Together, we can promote ethical, science-based wildlife policies that benefit everyone.
Thank you for your continued support!
Jaguar image from USFWS, Levi Novey.