Losing our wildlife

[leslie]

this is regarding wild animals in the east. It is very informative. I believe being informed is important no matter how helpless you may feel. eventually, something will come around where you can do something (send money, sign a petition, support a certain zoo) so it's important to know what is happening!

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0907/p06s02-woap.html

[Albea]

If you think that it is only the wildlife in this country that is endangered, read this article...

BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE January/February 2004

And the Loophole Is . . .
It•s a loophole in the Endangered Species Act, and the current administration is driving a tank through it.
The law prohibits any commercial trade in endangered and threatened animals – with one exception: when it•s actually for the
purpose of conservation. And that•s the loophole that the administration is taking advantage of,
primarily on behalf of organizations that bring exotic wildlife to the United States for canned
hunts, circuses, and zoos. The strongest lobbyist for the new policy is Safari Club International, which contributed $274,000 to certain candidates in the last presidential election cycle.
The White House has proposed an amendment to
the 1973 Act, allowing U.S.companies to import a certain number of endangered animals if they compensate the animals' native countries with money for conservation programs.
It•s basically the same reasoning that•s put forward by animal shelters when they sell homeless dogs and cats to vivisection laboratories.
The animals are used in experiments and then killed. But each $50 or so raised from selling these pets, say the shelters, helps save homeless animals.
In fact, developing countries are learning that there is far more value in preserving wildlife than in destroying it. Kenya, a leader in conservation, notes that allowing a hunter to kill an elephant
can net a one-time benefit of $10,000. But keeping that elephant alive can bring in $200,000 a year – for decades. Indeed, Kenya•s elephants are worth $60 million a year in tourist revenue. The new
U.S. policy threatens to wreck this carefully nurtured new approach to African wildlife.
Conservationists have expressed outrage at the plan: “It•s an open door to corruption,” says renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. “It•s disgusting.”
“It•s a very dangerous precedent,” adds Adam Roberts of the Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group for endangered species, “to decide that wildlife exploitation is in the best interests of wildlife.”
The Washington Post, which broke the story, noted that “the new policy marks a dramatic break from past practice. Rather than interpreting the Endangered Species Act to protect from exploitation
and slaughter, as previous administrations have done, Bush Administration officials assert
that encouraging such actions can contribute to the species•ultimate survival.”
And it•s reminiscent of a soldier•s famous quote during the Vietnam War: “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.”



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[leslie]

Thank you so much for this information! Funny you should post during the time of an environmental issue also occuring on this same thread! (Also regarding our current White House administration's moves on this issue). I do appreciate your donation here and plan on printing it and sharing with friends and co-workers! Thanks!