In the past three years, a state-sanctioned pheasant protection program that pays South Dakota adolescents and adults $10 for every raccoon, skunk, or other predators they catch has resulted in the death of more than 134,000 animals, despite no scientific proof that the program is effective.
Raccoons are the most commonly hunted animals, but skunks, opossums, red foxes, and badgers are common targets. The animals' carcasses, which are unfit for consumption, are dumped, but some may have their pelts removed beforehand. The state encourages participants to bury the bodies, but it is not required, according to Robling.
Fifty-four thousand four hundred seventy-one animals were killed in 2019, the first year of the bounty scheme; 26,390 animals were murdered in 2020, and 53,728 animals were killed in 2021. Raccoons account for over 80% of the 134,600 animals killed so far under the program.
The East River region of South Dakota, where pheasants are most abundant, accounted for over 91 percent of the bounties given. Minnehaha County program participants have consistently been the top bounty recipients.
Opposition
Over time, public resistance to the program has risen. According to a poll conducted by the state early in the program, after questioners explained its purpose, 78 percent of approximately 400 random respondents strongly or moderately approved of it. However, 62% of those polled indicated they had no prior knowledge of the initiative before contact.
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