Bill Description:
This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the importation of polar bear trophies taken in Canadian sport hunts before the date the species was listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.[teaserbreak]
Background:
Between the proposal to list polar bears as threatened in 2006 and the enactment of the final threatened listing on May 15, 2008, trophy hunters killed 41 polar bears in Canada – despite repeated warnings from both hunting organizations and federal government agencies that trophy imports would likely not be allowed by the final listing date. If Congress passes this waiver on sport trophies and allows these hunters to import their kills, it would be rewarding their risky and ecologically unsound behavior.
However, this bill has detrimental effects beyond the 41 specific polar bear trophies. If enacted, this bill would set a precedent for Congressional leniency on the import of animals being considered for threatened or endangered ESA listing. Demonstrating that hunters will be allowed to import trophies even after a species has been proposed for a threatened or endangered classification could accelerate the pace of killing for any species proposed for listing in the future. Each new allowance may involve only a few animals, but the cumulative impacts of these waivers time and time again lead to more reckless trophy killing.
Take Action:
Contact your U.S. representative and urge him or her to oppose this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.