Senator Aims to End Fox Pen Competitions in VA

Virginia Senator David Marsden has introduced legislation that prohibits fox-hunting competitions, in which dogs chase down wild foxes that are released in an enclosed pen, a practice that often results in the death or injury of the wild animals and spreads rabies. “Making a competitive event out of tormenting wildlife behind fences with packs of dogs, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, is simply unacceptable,” said Marsden, as quoted by The Humane Society of the United States. “Wildlife is to be enjoyed by all Virginians, not to be destroyed for the pleasure of a few. When a fox goes into a pen, he never comes out.” HSUS also notes that 31 of the state’s 41 pens were temporarily shut down in 2007, after a sting operation revealed illegal wildlife smuggling.