On Friday, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission dismissed a petition from conservation groups seeking to prohibit the use of dog packs for hunting wildlife across the state. This decision was made despite increasing evidence that hound hunting unlawfully harasses endangered species like jaguars and ocelots, along with other vulnerable wildlife that require our protection.
The petition, submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups, detailed incidents in which hound hunting disrupted and displaced endangered big cats. At least five jaguars in southern Arizona have reportedly been driven from their habitat by packs of hunting dogs.
“Arizonans love jaguars and ocelots, and the commission’s refusal to protect these endangered animals shows it’s wildly out of touch,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’ll keep fighting for these commonsense protections for Arizona’s endangered wildlife.”
On February 10th, Commissioner James Goughnour publicly endorsed a bill that would have preempted the petition altogether by stripping the commission of its regulatory authority on this important issue.
“The commissioner abdicated his responsibility to protect Arizona’s wildlife by supporting this bill, which would’ve wiped out the commission’s authority and killed public input,” said McSpadden. “It’s infuriating that the commission is putting hunters over science, endangered species conservation and public trust.”
The proposed reforms would have restricted the use of dogs in recreational hunts targeting large mammals, while sadly still allowing their use in permitted depredation hunts and bird hunting.
We should be fighting to protect Arizona’s wildlife—not defending cruel, outdated hunting methods that put endangered species at risk. Allowing hound hunting to continue in known jaguar and ocelot habitat prioritizes blood sport over science, ethics, and conservation. The commission had an opportunity to take a stand for responsible wildlife stewardship and chose instead to side with the most extreme elements of the hunting lobby.
