Help End Trapping on National Wildlife Refuges

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Help End Trapping on National Wildlife Refuges

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Source-API(apiforanimals.org)

 

 

The National Wildlife Refuge System was established nearly one hundred years

ago as a haven for endangered species and numerous plant and animal life.

The Refuge System is the most comprehensive and diverse collection of

protected fish and wildlife habitats in the world, encompassing 93 million

acres of land in all 50 states. The system includes 529 refuges and 38

wetland management districts and harbors more than 240 listed endangered

species, over 700 kinds of birds, 220 mammals, 250 reptiles and amphibians

and 200 kinds of fish.

 

Even though refuges were designed to be sanctuaries for wildlife, the

federal government allows the practice of hunting and trapping to occur. In

fact, trapping is practiced on 280 (54% of) National Wildlife Refuges.

Bobcats, river otters, badgers, beavers, coyotes, deer, elk, and bighorn

sheep are trapped, crippled and maimed on refuges each year. The types of

traps allowed are cruel and indiscriminate and not only kill and maim target

animals but also non-target animals such as eagles, companion animals (dogs

and cats), threatened and endangered species, and rabbits.

 

According to a national public opinion survey conducted by Decision

Research, 79% of Americans strongly oppose trapping on National Wildlife

Refuges. And, 78% of Americans mistakenly assume that hunting and trapping

are illegal on refuges.

 

The reality is that National Wildlife Refuges are no havens for our nation's

wildlife. Rather they are playgrounds for trappers and hunters and other

consumptive wildlife users. As such, the original intent behind the creation

of National Wildlife Refuges should be restored.

 

What You Can Do

 

1. Write your Representative and Senators and thank or express your dismay

for their vote on the Farr and Torricelli Amendment (respectively).

 

On July 14, 1999, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly

(259-166) to pass the Farr amendment to the House Interior Appropriations

bill which prohibited the use of steel jawed leghold traps and neck snares

on National Wildlife Refuges for recreational and commercial purposes.

However, on September 9, 1999 the Senate voted to table the Torricelli

amendment (same language as Farr amendment), effectively killing the bill.

 

The Farr amendment was considered by a Joint House/Senate Interior

Appropriations Conference Committee, which voted not to include the

amendment in the final version of the Interior Appropriations Bill.

 

If you have not already done so, please write or call your Representative

and Senators to thank or express your dismay for their vote on the Farr and

Torricelli amendments.

 

To find out who your Representative is go to www.house.gov/write.rep. Then

to see how he/she voted,

To find out who your Senators are go to

www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm. Then to see how they voted,

 

2. Write to Secretary Babbitt and request a complete ban of commercial and

recreational trapping within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the ability to regulate trapping on

refuges.

 

Points you may want to include in your letter:

 

Ban commercial and recreational fur trapping and the use of all

body-gripping traps on all refuges.

Mention that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's own statistics show that

of the 27.1 million refuge visitors in 1995, 81.5% went for environmental

education purposes, to view and photograph wildlife and for similar

non-consumptive recreational pursuits, while only 4.5% of refuge visitors

went there to hunt or trap.

Point out that according to a 1999 national opinion poll, 79% of those

polled oppose allowing trapping on America's National Wildlife Refuges while

88% of those polled support either a ban on all commercial and recreational

trapping for fur or a ban on cruel types of traps, such as leghold or

body-gripping traps.

Remind Secretary Babbitt that trappers make up one tenth of one percent of

the population and contribute little to the national or local economy

Please write letters to the Secretary of the Interior and cc your letters to

your state Senators and Representative. (To find out who your Representative

is go to www.house.gov/write.rep. To find out who your Senators are go to

www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm.)

 

Secretary Bruce Babbitt

Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20240

202-208-7351

Fax 202-208-6956

exsec

 

The Honorable [Full Name]

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

 

The Honorable [Full Name]

U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

 

3. Please write your Representative and Senators and urge them to support

and co-sponsor the Steel Jaw Leghold Trap Ban (H.R. 1581 / S. 1006).

 

H.R. 1581 and S. 1006, known as the Steel Jaw Leghold Trap Prohibition Act,

were introduced in the 106th Congress. The House version was introduced by

Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) and the Senate version was introduced by

Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ).

 

These bills would place several restrictions on the use of leghold traps and

would specifically prohibit the shipment in interstate commerce of steel jaw

leghold traps and of articles of fur derived from animals captured in such

traps.

 

Points to include in your letter:

 

Leghold traps cause extreme suffering and pain to their victims. Animals

caught in traps often suffer (and die) from fractures, ripped tendons, blood

loss, amputations, and predation by other animals.

A national poll conducted in November 1996 showed that 74% of Americans

believe leghold traps should be banned.

Leghold traps have been banned in over 80 countries and banned or severely

restricted in seven states. Voters in four states (Arizona, California,

Colorado and Massachusetts) have passed ballot measures banning or severely

limiting the use of leghold traps.

Banning leghold traps would bring the United States into compliance with the

1997 signed agreement with the European Union, requiring phase-out of

leghold traps in the U.S. within six years.

To find out who your Representative is go to www.house.gov/write.rep. To see

if your Representative already cosponsors H.R. 1581, To find out

who your Senators are go to www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm. To

see if your Senators already cosponsor S. 1006,

 

Address your letters to:

 

The Honorable [Full Name]

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

 

The Honorable [Full Name]

U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

 

For more information please see our prior Action Alert, Support Needed for

H.R. 1581 and S. 1006 Trap Ban Legislation.

 

4. Contact API for a copy of our report, " Trapping on National Wildlife

Refuges " or view the online version.

 

5. Contact API about any stories of companion animals, endangered and

threatened species and other non-target animals found trapped on National

Wildlife Refuges in your state.

 

Thank you!

 

For more information contact Camilla Fox or Nicole Paquette at API.

 

10/08/99

 

 

 

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