Fox Sports Pulls HSUS Anti-Trapping Ad!!!

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(Columbus) - Fox Sports Net, which provides regional sports programming to 85 million households, will no longer run an anti-trapping advertisement produced by the nation's largest animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States.



Thousands of angry sportsmen nationwide had sounded off to the network in December after the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA), the nation's leading sportsman advocacy organization, exposed the network's decision to air the political advertisement as a gratis public service announcement.



Fox Sports Net told USSA that the 15-second, anti-trapping commercial expired on Dec. 31 and will not run again. The advertisement featured Humane Society of the United States leader Wayne Pacelle and a second animal activist urging viewers to support trapping bans. To add to the sensationalism, the spot opened with a loud clank as a foot hold trap with teeth - a trap that has been banned throughout the country for decades - snapped shut.



"Sportsmen delivered a message to Fox Sports that they want the network to scrutinize the public service announcements it receives so that anti-trapping and anti-hunting political advertisements like this HSUS spot do not receive approval in the future," said Rick Story, USSA senior vice president. "Based on discussions USSA has had with the network, we anticipate that in the future it will pay much closer attention to ads that reflect such political viewpoints."



Trapping is recognized by every wildlife agency at the state and federal level as a viable and important conservation tool. It helps keep furbearer populations at healthy levels and is important in stemming the spread of wildlife diseases that threaten animals and humans.



The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use, including trapping, hunting and fishing. It has a multi-million dollar budget that it invests in legislative and ballot campaigns to ban trapping and hunting. It also has a legal arm to challenge sportsmen's rights in court.