Ever since Trump was elected President, we knew, in the pits of our stomach, that this day would come. His sons would use their influence to expand their bloodthirsty pastime. Ryan Zinke has announced an International Wildlife Conservation Council which will advise the USFWS on the supposed advantages of international trophy hunting for conservation.
There is a two week public comment period to denounce this council. Please make sure that you speak out! Cecil the lion died two and a half years ago and the world roared. Let us roar on on November 25, 2017 at Secretary Zinke's despicable effort to equate killing with conservation.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: This is by far the most important and absolutely necessary part of this action. No matter what else you do, please write personalized public comment. If you were impacted by Cecil's death, share your feelings. Additional, scientific talking points are below.
Comments are due on November 24 at 11:59 EDT and emailed to joshua_winchell@fws.gov or mailed to Joshua Winchell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
Please choose 2 or 3 of the following talking points and re-word them into your own words as much as possible. Please also include any personal feelings you have - remaining civil. Perhaps share thoughts on Cecil.
- I oppose the proposed International Wildlife Conservation Council. Studies have repeated shown that trophy hunting does not aid in conservation. Over the last several decades, big game hunting has been the primary, in many cases only method of conservation, yet populations of wildlife continue to plummet.
- Big game hunting is often unsustainable. For instance, only between 20,000 and 35,000 wild lions remain in Africa but 6,000 are killed each year by trophy hunters. That means between 2 and 3% of the popular is killed each year solely by big game hunters. This is NOT sustainable - particularly in light of other pressures on population including poaching, deaths from conflicts with ranchers and habitat loss.
- Trophy hunting works the opposite of natural selection. Nature targets the weakest but hunters target the biggest and the strongest. Hunters want the lion with the biggest mane or tusk. Often, these animals - the oldest, wisest, strongest - play critical roles in their populations. They are the protectors, leaders and their removal puts their populations at risk. It might mean that other individuals start disobeying rules, wrecking havoc with livestock, or that another male lion might move in and kill the cubs of the hunted lion. As a result, the death of an individual animal due to hunting can and often does have a ripple effect.
- Over the last 100 years, hunting has been the main conservation method employed in main countries yet wildlife numbers keep declining. If trophy hunting was so great for conservation, why have African lions declined by 95% since the 1940's? The numbers simply do not support the assertion that trophy hunting benefits conservation.
- Despite assertions that trophy hunting helps communities, most of the money goes to middle men and does not make its way to local communities.
- Trophy hunting can be linked to poaching. This can range from instances like with Cecil the lion, where hunters break the law, to poachers using trophy hunting as a smokescreen for a more in depth poaching operation.
- Trophy hunting fees incentivize managers to inflate numbers to bring in more money, putting species at risk.
- As we saw by the visceral reaction to Cecil the Lion, trophy hunting is simply not morally acceptable to most Americans. Our society sees it as outdated, cruel and needless. Please do not expand this elitist and brutal pastime but instead acknowledge that most Americans are now gravitating to more non-consumptive activities such as wildlife watching, bird watching, hiking, kayaking and the like.
- IF THE COUNCIL GOES FORWARD, I nominate Born Free CEO and General Counsel, Parsham Khetan to sit on the council.
- For the foregoing reasons, I oppose the creation of an International Wildlife Conservation Council.
TWITTER: Tweet Sheet found HERE.
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Write your own, civil comments or copy and paste the following:
I oppose the creation of an International Conservation Council to promote US trophy hunting abroad. Studies have repeated demonstrated that this is not an effective method of conservation and Cecil's death demonstrated that most Americans find this pastime abhorrent. Please abandon plans to go forward with this council. #NoMoreCecils. 🦁
PETITIONS: Please sign and share.
I thought nominations for the council were due on that date, not comment on the council. The council is already decided from what I read. Wish it were not true and expressing a view won't hurt but I don't believe it is a consultation period.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point. Do you think we should all nominate true conservationists instead to the council as part of our comments?
DeleteThe DOI has invited comments regarding the establishment of the Council, which may be submitted by Nov. 24, 2017. They are also soliciting nominations for people to sit on the Council, which may submitted until Dec. 8, 2107. For more information on how to submit comments or recommendations see the official notice.
DeleteGREAT catch JeanneJaine!! We had the date as 11/25! Thank you!
DeleteMy message is sent, Wendy King!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete- Big game hunting is often unsustainable. For instance, only between 20,000 and 35,000 wild lions remain in Africa but 6,000 are killed each year by trophy hunters. That means between 2 and 3% of the popular is killed each year solely by big game hunters. This is NOT sustainable - particularly in light of other pressures on population including poaching, deaths from conflicts with ranchers and habitat loss.
Conservation or not, charity or not, these are lives. The pain is real!
ReplyDeleteNO ANIMAL SHOULD DIE JUST SO A WEAK MAN CAN CONGRATULATE HIMSELF .BAN TROPHY HUNTING NOW!
ReplyDeleteHunting is for animals! Enough said!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous! Please don't allow trophy hunting prizes on US soil! This is outrageous!
ReplyDeleteBan all forms of hunting urgently.
ReplyDeleteNature doesn't need us. We need nature. Never mind that elephants are majestic, intelligent, pure-souled creatures. We MUST protect our nature, our animals, if we want earth to be here for future generations. This move is inconceivable. There is no reason or excuse good enough for it. To the American "leaders" I say: Find your souls, it's not too late.
ReplyDeleteThe conflict of interest originates at the level of government / congress and USFWS / Safari Club International / Dallas Safari Club.
ReplyDeleteInfiltration of conservation organizations by hunters and hunter sympathizers that allow hunting to continue.
The lobbying by National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and Dallas Safari Club amongst others is essentially bribery and corruption that prevents meaningful legislation from being developed to prevent hunters from eliminating our wildlife.
Safari Clubs are designated “non-profit” organizations, because of the false claim of being conservationists and philanthropists, and therefore pay less tax than they should, so are using our taxes to sustain the fraudulent process.
I am outraged endangered species means what it says. It's not to boast the ego of someone by hanging on their wall or floor as a decoration. I will fight this till my last breath. I will try to refrain from using bad words here but I take this as war and will defend the endanged species to remain on the list and be protected with my life. This includes the Yellowstone Grizzlies. I am sick of the corruption and the egos. I am disgusted beyond belief that we are even considering this. I thought we were better than this. Have you all sold you souls.
ReplyDeleteI am beyond disgusted that we are even considering this. Endanger species means just that. I will defend the endangered species act and fight to keep the animals on it with my last dying breath. This is not negotiable and I consider it a act of war. These animals are not to be used in some decoration in ones office or home. They are not to be used to stoke someones ego. They are to be cherished and are national treasures for several next generations. It changes ones life to be in a field, with a camera instead of a gun, with these beautiful creatures that GOD has given us. Have you all sold your souls.
ReplyDeleteEndangered and threatened species should not be hunted. Neither should the Yellowstone grizzly bears. These animals should be preserved not killed and used to stroke someone's ego or decorate their den.
ReplyDeleteDo not allow the US to degrade even further than it has already gone. No support to trophy hunting, any hunting nor aggression to wild life. Andy Benik
ReplyDelete