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BLAIR, Okla. – An animal rights group claims an event hosted by Senator Inhofe is cruel and illegal.

The animal rights group SHARK, which stands for Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, has been protesting Senator Inhofe’s pigeon shoot for the past few years.

“There`s hunting with a hunting code, hunting ethics, where you hunt an animal, use the animal, you eat the animal. Those hunters have respect for the animal in their own way,” Steve Hindi with SHARK said.

Video from past years captures the hunters tossing the pigeons in the air and shooting them.

Hindi claims this is illegal.

“We have read Oklahoma`s humane code, it`s illegal to abandon animals. You know fish and game says that pigeons aren`t protected under their code, no they`re not. That`s why there`s not only a fish and game code but there`s a humane code,” Hindi said.

On Saturday, Hindi and other SHARK members showed up at the hunt and Hindi was shoved by a man participating.

Hindi and other SHARK members spent Saturday rescuing the pigeons who survived.

“It`s not part of hunting, they`re not going to be eaten and it`s neglect to have these live wounded pigeons suffering without food water, medical attention or shelter,” Hindi said.

Newschannel 4 corresponded with members of Senator Inhofe’s staff by text and by phone on Sunday night. They released this statement to us:

“We have had an event now for 12 years, which has featured a pigeon shoot, where we had shot "clay pigeons", where we feature long-range target shoots, where we have also held a Dovehunt, as we would have done this year if it didn't rain us out. So if you are asking me what I think about a fringe group that protests these events, dove hunts and rodeos, no I am not concerned,” Ryan Jackson, Chief of Staff, said.

Update: 9/12/16 WildCare says hundreds of pigeons were shot and many are struggling to survive. As of Monday at Noon 28 birds were brought to the facility, five had to euthanized and one died of injures leaving 22 in critical and being treated for injuries.

Pigeons wounded in Senator Jim Inhoffe fundraiser. Photo credit: WildCare

Pigeons wounded in Senator Jim Inhoffe fundraiser. Photo credit: WildCare

Pigeons wounded in Senator Jim Inhoffe fundraiser. Photo credit: WildCare