J&R Outfitters, a company operating in Indiantown, Florida, has reportedly operated a canned hunting facility for several years. Not only was this operation cruel, it was also illegal! The owners had no permits to run the business, and in fact, the zoning of the property prohibits this type of enterprise. When this zoning problem came to light, rather than closing their doors and sparing the animals, J & R Outfitters officials apparently asked Martin County to add hunting camps to the list of permitted uses in their property's zoning category thus allowing the company to continue offering canned hunts without obtaining any permits. This issue is scheduled to be voted on by the Martin County Local Planning Agency (LPA) on September 17.

Canned hunts are held on private lands set up as "game ranches," where hunters can pay to gun down native and exotic species. These animals may be native to the area, raised elsewhere and brought in, or purchased from individuals who are trafficking in unwanted or surplus animals from zoos and circuses. The animals are hunted and killed for the sole purpose of providing hunters with a "trophy." Animals on canned-hunting ranches are often accustomed to humans and are usually unable to escape from the enclosure areas to which they are confined. Many game ranches charge a fee based on the size or desirability of the animal killed, so it's in the owner's best interest to make sure a kill is made. Owners do this by offering guides who are familiar with animals' locations and habits and by supplying "feeding stations" that lure unsuspecting animals to food while hunters lie in wait. Canned hunting is so cruel that many states, including Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, have limited or banned the activity.

Please contact the LPA members, as well as County Commissioner Edward Ciampi, who oversees this district, and politely ask them to end cruel blood sports at this property for good!

Please send polite comments to:

Barbara Essenwine
LPA Member
barbarae@gcyinc.com

John Leighton III
LPA Member
jsleightoniii@bellsouth.net

James Moir
LPA Member
benchcat@aol.com

Wil Brown
LPA Member
w.b.brown@netzero.com

Sandy Zweben
LPA Member
sandy@zweben.net

The Honorable Edward Ciampi
Martin County Commissioner for District 5
eciampi@martin.fl.us