NYTTS Snapperfest Report
On April 24, 2012, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Best Friends Animal Society submitted a petition to the Indiana Natural Resources Commission to establish rules to clarify an exception in the Indiana Code that has thus far prevented enforcement of the state’s
anti-cruelty statutes as it would apply to the activities of Snapperfest. On May 15 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources clarified that the animal cruelty laws do apply to the turtles at the event (see minutes of that meeting [PDF]). But the organizers denied their treatment of turtles at the event was cruel! The Indiana administration seemed is undecided. A petition at Change.org (one of many online) sought to persuade Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to make the right decision.The World Animal Awareness Society compiled a comprehensive summary of videos and documentation of the efforts to stop the Snapperfest event: Snapperfest Update: January 2012. See Petition Filed to Stop Abuse of Turtles at “Snapperfest” Following Undercover Investigation of Cruelty, January 19, 2012; and Snapperfest Stokes Cries of Animal Cruelty, February 10, 2012. Sign petition to protest the event: Stop Snapperfest 2012! Then on July 26 — Snapperfest Cancelled! Herp Digest (www.herpdigest.org) reported: Today, Collette Adkins Giese, the Herptofauna lawyer for the Center for Biodiversity, got a call from [an Indiana] Department of Natural Resources enforcement official who said that they’ve been told the event is cancelled and that they are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that it is actually cancelled.See also Good News For Indiana’s Turtles: State Says No More Snapperfest by the Animal Legal Defense fund. |
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From: "Petercheff, Linnea" <lpetercheff@dnr.IN.gov> Date: August 23, 2011 2:30:36 PM EDT To: undisclosed-recipients Subject: snapperfest Thank you for contacting the State of Indiana about the event known as Snapperfest. Snapperfest is an annual event at a private campground in Indiana at which individuals are timed on how quickly they can capture a common snapping turtle, coax the turtle to stick its head out, and grab it by the neck without killing it and without getting bitten. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has investigated this matter, including a visit to the recent Snapperfest. The event organizer told IDNR that current contest rules prohibit individuals from smacking the turtles on the ground as was seen in a YouTube video circulated widely on the Internet. To our knowledge and from our onsite observation, this abuse is no longer allowed at Snapperfest, and we are told the individual seen in the YouTube video can no longer participate in the event. The IDNR has an interest here to the extent of ensuring that all applicable laws are followed with respect to a wild animal. The common snapping turtle is one of three turtles considered a game species in Indiana. The other two are the smooth softshell turtle and spiny softshell turtle. All three are subject to state laws that regulate their taking from the wild. Those laws include the purchase and possession of a fishing or hunting license for anyone age 18 or older, plus a daily bag limit and possession limit. Furthermore, Indiana law prohibits the sale of all native turtle species. Many individuals who have voiced objection to Snapperfest point to the animal cruelty laws found in Indiana Code 35-46-3. However, that law is not applicable in this instance because it provides an exemption for wild animals that are legally taken and possessed under the authority of Indiana Code 14-22. |
Consider the following questions:
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Judge for yourself how well the “current contest rules” (referred to above) are followed. Photos and video taken by Snapperfestwitness. A Facebook page has been set up by Indiana residents attempting to end the Snapperfest event. They are exploring strategies such as periodic organized phone protests and petitions so that the message will continue to be heard. See www.facebook.com/StopSnapperFest. (Be forewarned that some images posted on this page are quite graphic, including a photograph of dogs attacking an upturned live snapper at the event.)
“Who are we, as a people, when we bring our families, our children, to witness events, which as you can clearly see, are totally traumatic and downright painful to the animal?” “Who are we, as a people, when individuals such as this man get a round of applause for torturing and injuring animals?” As the above video indicates, Budweiser allegedly sponsored Snapperfest 2011 but denies knowledge of it. Register your concerns on the Budweiser contact page. By the way, if anyone has any doubts about how snapping turtles should be handled, see what our own Frank Indiviglio has to say: Handling Snapping Turtles, Chelydra serpentina, and Other Large Turtles. |
