Wildlife Killing Contests (De-Wilding)
March 17, 2025
“Wildlife Killing Contests,” a film by Filipe DeAndrade
Most people are completely unaware of the existence of wildlife killing contests. They take place in all but 10 states where they have been fully or partially banned. Every year, tens of thousands of wild animals—including bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, prairie dogs, crows, raccoons, and wolves—are slaughtered in these unethical contests. Participants compete to kill the greatest number, the largest or even the youngest of the target species for prizes and entertainment. These contests exploit the lack of killing limits or restrictions for many of these species. Coyotes are frequently targeted in these contests, because they can be killed in unlimited numbers, year-round, with almost any method (e.g. high-powered rifles with night scopes, snares, poisons, killing pups in dens) in most U.S. states. This film, “Wildlife Killing Contests,” directed by Filipe DeAndrade, was produced to shine a bright light on this heinous practice. A national coalition, co-founded by our colleagues at Project Coyote, has formed to abolish killing contests nation-wide. Please check these websites for actions you can take to help end these barbaric contests.
David Parsons received his Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University and his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology from Oregon State University. Dave is retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where from 1990-1999 he led the USFWS’s effort to reintroduce the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest. Dave’s interests include the ecology and conservation of large carnivores, protection and conservation of biodiversity, and wildlands conservation at scales that fully support ecological and evolutionary processes.
Dave is the Carnivore Conservation Biologist and a member of the Board of Directors of The Rewilding Institute; a former member of the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance; a founding member of the Science Advisory Board of Project Coyote; and a former graduate advisor in the Environmental Studies master’s degree program at Prescott College. Dave serves as a science and policy advisor for organizations and coalitions advocating for wolf recovery and landscape-scale conservation in the Southwest.
In 2001, Dave received the New Mexico Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s annual “Professional Award.” In 2007 at the North American Wolf Conference, Dave received the “Alpha Award” for his “outstanding professional achievement and leadership toward the recovery of Mexican wolves.” In 2008 he received the “Outstanding Conservation Leadership Award” from the Wilburforce Foundation and the “Mike Seidman Memorial Award” from the Sky Island Alliance for his conservation achievements. Dave received the “Leader of the Pack” award from Project Coyote in 2019 and was named a “Climate Hero” by the organization One Earth in March 2024.
Dave enjoys wildlife viewing, wilderness adventures, and dancing. He lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, Noralyn.