The undersigned faith-based organizations express our strong support for a ban on cruel and destructive wildlife killing contests. During these competitions, participants compete to kill the most, the largest or even the smallest wild animals within a specified time period for cash and prizes.

Thousands of bobcats, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, raccoons and other species fall victim at hundreds of contests across the U.S. every year. After competitors kill the animals, they gather to weigh and count—and take photos next to—the bloody bodies. Having no use for them after the prizes are awarded, participants often dump the animals.

Disturbingly, places of worship have been known to organize or host killing contests, which is antithetical to the values and principles that we as faith leaders hold dear. Some of these contests include the “Coyote Hunt” hosted by the Lyons Community Church TRIBE Youth Group in Indiana, the “Coyote Crackdown” held by the Tennessee River Baptist Church, the “Elm Springs Baptist Church Coyote Hunt” in Missouri, the “Predator Hunt” hosted by Harmony Church in Oklahoma, the “50/50 Predator Hunt” by the Church of God of Prophecy in Virginia, and the “Squirrel and Rabbit Hunt” hosted by the Whitneyville Bible Church in Michigan.

We have a special interest in connecting with places of worship and working together to cancel plans to participate in such events and to support policy efforts to prohibit the bloodsport in their state. We seek to foster an understanding that such contests encourage a shocking lack of empathy for sentient beings. The horrific suffering that wild animals endure at the hands of participants in these contests is in direct opposition to the universal Golden Rule and the guideline to love one another. Killing contests go against the highest ethics of peace and respect for all life that form the foundation of faith practice.

Both scientific research and spiritual wisdom teach that all animals suffer pain and fear. Since the contests encourage participants to kill the most, the heaviest or the smallest animals in an extremely short time period—often only 24 or 48 hours—participants inevitably injure animals who are not killed immediately, and instead die a slow and painful death. In addition, in contests held during the spring months, young animals may be orphaned and then die from starvation.

These contests are not only a merciless attack on our treasured wild animals, but on the ecosystem as well. Coyotes, for example, are a keystone species, and great damage is done when many of them are killed and removed from the ecosystem that they keep in balance. Everything is woven together in a sacred web of interconnectedness. And science and ethics do not in any way support the claims that killing contests control coyote populations or provide other benefits.