Cull of the Wild
The Truth behind Trapping

Watch it here! (26 min)

CULL OF THE WILD examines the history and the legacy of the trapping industry in America today. The film explains and demonstrates different types of traps, and the viewer gets to see trapping from the point of view of the trapper as well as the animals. Interviews with wildlife biologists, veterinarians, and other experts detail the dangers to "nontarget" wildlife and household pets as trappers move away from commercial trapping and begin to specialize in killing "nuisance" animals.

Viewers are given reason to hope that change can be accomplished through grassroots activism, education, and changes in public policy.

Two versions: 27 min. and 10 min.
US Release Date: 2002
Copyright Date: 2001

WINNER

GOLD REMI AWARD
36th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, 2003
(Selected from more than 4,500 entries)
BEST OF FESTIVAL
Berkeley Video & Film Festival, 2003
CRYSTAL AWARD
International Association of Business Communicators, 2003
MERIT FOR CONSERVATION ADVOCACY / FINALIST
International Wildlife Film Festival, 2003
SECOND PLACE
Endangered Species/Habitat Category
EarthVision 2003, Environmental Film & Video Festival

REVIEWS

Julia Butterfly Hill, author of The Legacy of Luna

"Provides important thought and heart provoking information to a world that must act now. Animals and the future are relying upon our passion, compassion, and commitment to end this senseless, destructive history."

Elliot M. Katz, DVM, President, In Defense of Animals

"An excellent documentary that exposes the realities of hunting and trapping animals for fur, "wildlife management," and "nuisance control." Including interviews with trappers, supportive legislators, and wildlife biologists, the video is a wonderful educational tool."

Patricia M. Fazio, Ph.D., Coordinator, Wyoming Animal Welfare Network

"I sat on my couch STUNNED after watching this film. Its images are forever emblazoned on my mind."

National Association for Humane and Environmental Education

"You would be hard-pressed to find a more convincing case against animal trapping than Cull of the Wild. This 26-minute video thoughtfully explores the problems behind the trapping industry and allows real-life footage to fill in when words cannot adequately describe the suffering that trapping causes."

Sacramento News & Review, December 12, 2002
See the cover story on trapping
or read the review here ...

A HARD HABITAT TO BREAK
By Tom Walsh

The sensible among us know it’s good to stay away from scary videos. The blood, the gore, the sheer brutality do little to further anything in this world beyond shock and adrenaline.

But sometimes it is beneficial to look.

The one I viewed last week was filled with cruelty, pain and suffering--so much so that I had to turn my head a couple of times. It gave me a peek into a world I’d rather not visit.

It was the story of the anachronistic world of the fur trapper. The Animal Protection Institute produced the video, Cull of the Wild, as part of a campaign to stop the killing of millions of animals by trapping.

And it was an effective video. It showed wild-eyed, furry animals in the snares of steel-jawed leg traps. One can hardly bear to look at the shots of animals hopelessly struggling to pull their bloody paws out of the traps. The narrator told us that the creatures instinctively try to lunge out of the traps but only end up dislocating joints and severing tendons. Then, they try to chew their way out. The pictures of the helpless animals with bloody and broken teeth were almost too much.

And did you know that your tax dollars are going to help trap and kill thousands of animals each year? (See “Critters in the ’hood,” page 20.) There is now a movement to stop the trapping and come up with alternatives that work.

But, beyond the emotion of the video, there are problems with the wildlife that have adapted to and created a habitat in suburbia, where they are not welcome.

Something has to give, and it’s probably going to be the animals.

ACTIVIST NEWS

In association with The Fund for Animals, "Neiman Carcass" activists across the country are using the video CULL OF THE WILD to convince store managers and employees to go fur free!

Showing the video outside store windows, they are using this powerful tool to educate and motivate the public and other activists to get involved in ending the sale of fur. How can anyone stomach the brutality behind this outdated "fashion" statement after seeing the censored activities exposed in CULL OF THE WILD?

TAKE ACTION

TRAPPING FACTS

THE CRUELTY OF FUR TRIM