Internet hunting (also called cyber hunting or computer-assisted remote hunting) allows a person with an Internet connection to fire a rifle from virtually anywhere, killing real prey in “real time.”
Supporters of the practice say it is a way to allow people with disabilities to enjoy the thrill of hunting. Critics say it is not hunting; it is killing and it violates the rules of “fair chase.” Internet hunting has been strongly criticized by the Humane Society of the United States (which calls it pay-per-view slaughter); pro-hunting groups, including the National Rifle Association; and animal rights advocates, among others.
At least 35 states, including all the New England states, but not Connecticut, have banned Internet hunting. Opponents are seeking a federal ban. Two bills currently before Congress (HR 2711 and S. 2422) would prevent the operation of websites allowing Internet hunting (http: //www. govtrack. us/congress/bill. xpd?bill=s110-2422). A 2007 bill (HB 6570) to ban the practice in Connecticut died on the House Calendar.
INTERNET HUNTING AND LEGISLATION
Internet hunting emerged as an issue in 2005 when a Texas businessman launched the website www. live-shot. com promoting the practice as “a real time on-line shooting experience.”
For a $ 14. 95 monthly fee and deposit towards the cost of the animal he or she wished to kill, a subscriber with a high speed Internet connection could log on to the website at a scheduled time and, using a remote controlled . 22 caliber rifle with a webcam mounted on it, shoot animals at a private game farm in Texas. Employees at the farm would lure the animal the subscriber ordered to a feeding station within range of the rifle. When the animal approached, the subscriber used the computer mouse to line up the cross hairs and clicked the mouse to discharge the rifle. Employees at the farm finished the job if the hunter missed. (It appears, after visiting www. live-shot. com, that the remote hunting service is no longer offered. )
