Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee has signed into law a bill that would make the state the latest one to outlaw “captive hunting” — a hunt that occurs within a structure designed to restrict the free movement of animals and prevent them from escaping.
More than half of states already have a full or partial ban on captive hunting.
The new law bars the use of manmade or natural barriers intended to prevent animals from fleeing the confined area of a hunt in Rhode Island. Private lands set up as hunting or shooting preserves, or game ranches, are included under the law.
The legislation also states no species of animal may be imported or captured for use in captive hunting. The bill was first proposed after a sporting club had sought permission to import exotic animals, like elk and boar, for members to hunt on its property in the state.
The new law would not apply to the release of domestic game birds on public property, or on private property licensed by the state Department of Environmental Management as a shooting preserve for the purpose of hunting.
State Rep. Scott Slater, a Democrat, was one of the sponsors of the bill. Slater said physically preventing an animal from escaping death is not hunting.
Slater said he doesn’t know “a single active hunter who thinks such practices are acceptable.”
Joanne Bourbeau, northeast regional director at the Humane Society of the United States, said killing animals for trophies and bragging rights is unacceptable.
“The captive trophy hunting industry breeds animals solely to be shot and killed within fenced enclosures,” she said after lawmakers approved the bill earlier this month. “This critical legislation would allow Rhode Island to join the other 26 states that already have full or partial bans on captive hunting.”
McKee has also signed a second bill into law meant to update the protocols for reporting car accidents involving wildlife and for collecting the resulting roadkill for consumption.
The new law broadens reporting requirements for collisions with deer to any accident involving wildlife that substantially damages the vehicle, such as collisions with turkeys or bears.
It also makes reporting these collisions easier for drivers by allowing them to report directly to the Department of Environmental Management through an online portal or phone number rather than having to contact a conservation officer.
Data from wildlife collisions are used in statistical models by environmental officials to estimate wildlife population. The new law lets the state salvage unwanted roadkill for general consumption.
Currently only the parties directly involved in the collision can salvage deer for their own enjoyment. The change lets wildlife salvaged from a collision be used by organizations or individuals who have the capability to process it.
