by Mark Chesnut - Monday, May 24, 2021
Many Americans still get the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) confused with their local Humane Society that helps save and rehome abandoned dogs and cats—certainly a noble and worthy cause. In reality, however, as reported by this website, the HSUS is a devout anti-hunting machine that stands against everything law-abiding, responsible hunter/conservationists represent.
The group’s recent attack on the Dallas Safari Club (DSC), where the HSUS called hunting the “global carnage of wild animals” has once again brought its hatred of legal, regulated hunting to the forefront.
Just before the DSC’s February convention—held virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic—the HSUS sent out a new release in which Kitty Block, HSUS CEO, revealed the group’s true colors, condemning lawful hunter/conservationists as nothing more than murderers. Of course, this is not what legal, regulated hunting is about, and hunters care deeply about animal welfare.
Yet the HSUS release went on to blatantly lie about the importance of legal, regulated hunting to the cause of wildlife conservation, ignoring how hunting license dollars and excise taxes on hunting equipment fund the lion’s share of wildlife conservation and habitat enhancement, both in the United States and around the world.
“Science has shown that trophy hunting has caused the decline of wildlife populations including those of African lions, leopards and elephants,” lied Jeffrey Flocken, president of Humane Society International, the HSUS’ global arm. Fortunately, news sites such as this NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum website and hunter-backed organizations including the DSC and NRA regularly share how legal, regulated hunting helps to counteract both habitat loss and poaching.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the HSUS, even some hunters have been duped into thinking they are supporting local animal shelters with their donations to the group when in reality they are funding anti-hunting efforts at its most extreme level.
According to Protect the Harvest, an organization dedicated to shining the light of truth on animal extremist groups, a recent survey showed that 79 percent of Americans said they are familiar with the HSUS. Remarkably, 71 percent of those who claimed to be familiar with the organization mistakenly identified it as an umbrella group for local animal shelters.
“These groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are simply using animals to pad their own pockets,” the group reported. “Millions of dollars are spent elsewhere while the animals they claim to protect are suffering because of ‘lack of funding.’ The worst part about this, which we cannot stress enough, is the fact that good-hearted Americans are being duped by misinformation campaigns from these organizations.” (For more on this, click here.)
For the sake of hunting’s future, all hunters should make sure that none of their charitable dollars are going to the HSUS or other extremist anti-hunting organizations. And, spending a few minutes to explain to family members and friends that the HSUS and local animal shelters are completely different entities with different long-term goals can help ensure that others who understand the value of hunting don’t accidentally fund anti-hunting causes.
About the Author
Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC in Jenks, Okla. An avid hunter, shooter and field-trialer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for over 20 years.