American Idol contestant Will Moseley’s actions have cast a shadow over his search for fame. A video from 2022 shows him hunting a wild hog who is cornered in a riverbed. The horrific video is accompanied by a photo of him posing with the dead animal, with the caption “Those good ol’ January Swims.”

Pigs, like the one targeted in Moseley’s video, are intelligent, social animals with the capacity to experience fear, pain, and suffering.

“Anyone who encourages dogs to rip apart other animals should be in jail for cruelty to animals, not on a stage. Unless Will Moseley has changed and gained some much-needed compassion since his boar-killing days, PETA urges the public to vote according to their values and end his American Idol dream, the same way he ended the lives of vulnerable animals.”

—PETA Vice President Lisa Lange

Hunting might have been necessary for human survival in prehistoric times, but today most hunters stalk and kill animals merely for the thrill of it. This gratuitous violence masked as entertainment rips animal families apart and leaves countless animals orphaned or badly injured when hunters miss their targets.

Every Animal Is Someone

Animals have unique personalities, remarkable abilities, and a profound emotional capacity. We may never see eye to eye with everyone, but we can look into each other’s eyes and understand that we’re all animals, that each one of us deserves respect and kindness, that everyone should be allowed to live free from needless pain and suffering, and that every animal is someone.

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