Louisiana has approved a brand new hunting season that could kill up to 10,000 American alligators in a single month, purely for recreation. Starting October 1, the state will hand out alligator tags to 5,000 residents through a lottery, each allowing two alligators to be killed, on top of the state's existing commercial alligator hunting program.
This isn't about managing a struggling population. It's a new sport hunt, created solely so people can kill alligators for the experience of it.
Sign the petition urging the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to cancel this recreational season before it begins.
Alligators killed under this new program can't even be sold, their hides, meat, and other parts have no commercial use at all. The killing exists only as recreation. American alligators in Louisiana were hunted so heavily in the past that the state had to shut down hunting entirely for a decade just to let the population recover. That recovery is now being used as justification to open the door to thousands more unnecessary deaths, layered on top of hunting that was already happening.
Wild animals should not be treated as targets for entertainment. Louisiana has other tools to manage its alligator population responsibly without creating a new, purely recreational hunt. Canceling this season would protect thousands of alligators from being killed for no reason beyond sport, without affecting the state's existing wildlife management programs.
These alligators don't deserve to become tags on someone's trophy wall.
Sign the petition and demand the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cancel this hunt before it begins.
