WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, September 24, 2013
New Mexico: Land of Entrapment

Conservation groups submit citizen suggestions for new state nickname reflecting abuses of wildlife
Contact: Taylor Jones (505) 490-5141

Santa Fe, NM – In the wake of a recent spate of wildlife abuses, including a high-body-count contest hunt, conservation groups today announced the results of a survey asking respondents to suggest a new nickname for New Mexico that more accurately represents the state’s treatment of wildlife.

“Land of Entrapment” prevailed by a landslide as the most popular in the on-line poll. One respondent even noted, “Land of Entrapment is what we called [New Mexico] 20 years ago. Not much has changed.” “The Thrill-Kill State,” which has a certain poetry to it, was the second-most popular suggestion. Third in the top picks was this double-entendre: “New Mexico: We'll Blow You Away!”

“The responses revealed a lot of sadness and anger from residents and visitors alike,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Respondents agreed that killing contests and leghold traps all over public lands aren’t ‘enchanting.’”

The groups sent a letter to the New Mexico Tourism Department asking it, as protectors and promoter of New Mexico’s image, to support future legislation to ban cruel treatment of wildlife and ensure that the state lives up to its current nickname, “Land of Enchantment.”

The poll calling for suggestions for New Mexico’s new moniker ran for the last two weeks of August and received over 1,500 responses. The conservation groups included runner-up nicknames and other comments and responses in their letter to the Tourism Department, which can be read here.

A statewide prairie dog killing contest[1] is only the most recent in a long list of abuses that New Mexico’s wildlife have been subjected too. Trapping is nearly unregulated on New Mexico’s public lands. The New Mexico Game Commission lifted a trapping ban in the recovery area of the endangered Mexican wolf two years ago, despite evidence that trapping is harming the population of 75 rare animals. Because of leghold traps, two wolves have died, two have full leg amputations, and several are missing toes. The Game Commission has repeatedly rejected trapping bans – instead expanding trapping on public land – and the New Mexico legislature rejected legislation to ban trapping and poisons on public lands.

New Mexico uses the second highest number of poison-ejecting devices, called M-44s, for wildlife killing in the nation (only after Texas).  M-44s are baited traps designed to lure an animal. When the animal tugs on the lure, toxic sodium cyanide is propelled into the victim’s mouth. These dangerous booby traps are indiscriminant and have imperiled non-target wildlife, killed pets, and injured people. The State also allows unsustainable levels of cougar and black bear hunting.

Cities and counties in New Mexico have started taking up arms against prairie dogs. The Clovis City Commission has passed an ordinance declaring prairie dogs a public nuisance and requiring their control.[2] Chavez County Commissioners have recently passed a county ordinance prohibiting the importation of prairie dogs within Chavez County, much like Curry County Commissioners did in Curry County this summer. The above-mentioned prairie dog killing contest, organized by a gun shop in Los Lunas, awarded a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 rifle to the person who turned in the largest number of “tails.” These multiple threats to prairie dogs are particularly egregious since the Gunnison’s prairie dog is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act in the montane portion of its range, and is listed in New Mexico as a “species of concern.” The U.S. Forest Service considers both Gunnison’s and black-tailed prairie dogs to be “imperiled” in New Mexico. Killing contests that incentivize high wildlife body counts – such as the current prairie dog killing contest and more than a dozen other that were held in the last year, mainly targeting coyotes – are legal in New Mexico. The New Mexico legislature recently rejected legislation to ban killing contests.

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WildEarth Guardians

WildEarth Guardians is a non-profit conservation organization based in New Mexico. Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places of the American West.

The PDAWG Task Force (Prairie Dog Advocacy Watch Group)

The mission of the PDAWG Task Force is to conserve the Gunnison’s prairie dogs of Santa Fe in order to safeguard the survival of the species and the natural heritage of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.

Citizens for Prairie Dogs

Citizens for Prairie Dogs is a Texas-based non-profit association dedicated to the preservation of prairie dogs.  Citizens for Prairie Dogs wants to educate the public and governing bodies that prairie dogs and humans can peacefully coexist.  When conflicts do occur, CPD provides assistance in relocating prairie dogs to an accommodating area.  

People for Native Ecosystems

The mission of People for Native Ecosystems is to protect, nurture, and maintain Santa Fe’s imperiled population of Gunnison’s prairie dogs, as they are vital links in the native ecosystem.

Stop Coyote Killing Contests New Mexico

“Stop Coyote Killing Contests New Mexico” has three goals: to have our political leaders place a moratorium on all wildlife killing contests until studies are completed on the impact these contests have on wildlife, our lands, and our people; enact laws and regulations to ban wildlife killing contests from public lands, and; require hunting licenses for all hunting activity, and set bag limits and seasons for all of our wildlife.