U.S. Policy Change Threatens Endangered Animals

by Patricia Collier

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to change its policy on regulating trade of endangered species. The policy changes would allow hunters, circuses and the pet industry to kill, capture and import animals on the brink of extinction in poor countries for use in America.

The agency is taking public comment until October 17 on what they are calling a "proposed enhancement-of-survival policy." They said the proposed changes would help other countries create stronger wildlife and habitat programs.

Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect wild animals facing extinction.

The act currently prohibits killing, capturing or importing animals on the list unless the persons involved have permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and can prove the animals won’t be used just for commercial purposes.

The Endangered Species Act has prevented zoos and circuses from buying endangered species to use for shows and exhibitions and it has protected endangered species from trophy hunters.

Federal authorities said, under the proposed change, money spent by U.S. zoos and circuses to import the endangered animals could be used to support conservation projects abroad.

The agency said no U.S. endangered species would be affected.

Species involved would include the Asian elephant in India, Southeast Asia and China; the Morelet’s crocodile in Mexico; the Asian bony tongue fish in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia; the wood bison in Canada; and the markhor, a member of the goat family, in Pakistan.

The policy change would also allow the pet industry to import the blue fronted Amazon parrot from Argentina.

Officials said the changes would create a win-win situation, satisfying a huge demand in the U.S. for live animals, skins, parts and trophies, and at the same time, generating profits allowing poor nations to pay for conservation of the remaining animals and their habitats.

But Adam Roberts, a senior research associate at the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group for endangered species, strongly disagreed.

Roberts called the proposed policy, "a horribly dangerous precedent, a wrong-headed conservation policy propelled by the circus and zoo, trophy-hunting lobby in the United States and others who want to profit by the commercialization of live animals or dead ones."

Kenneth Stansell, assistant director for international affairs at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the current Endangered Species Act provides poor countries no incentive for protecting dying species.

Animal welfare advocates, however, said foreign countries and groups that stand to profit would be in charge of determining how many animals can be killed or captured. They also said opening the door to legal trading and importing would encourage poaching.

"As soon as you place a financial price on the head of wild animals, the incentive is to kill the animal or capture them," Roberts said. "The minute people find out they can have an easier time killing, shipping and profiting from wildlife, they will do so."

Individuals concerned about the proposed changes to the endangered animals policy may contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs at: International@fws.gov.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.