Bush Administration Proposes Hunting Endangered Wildlife...Again

Wildlife groups condemn "kill them to save them" scheme for rare antelopes

(02/04/2005) - Washington D.C. -- Defenders of Wildlife and the Humane Society of the United States today criticized a government proposal that would permit trophy hunting of three antelope species at U.S. canned hunt and game ranch operations. The proposal would apply if, as expected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) lists the species as "endangered," a designation that ordinarily prohibits killing any wild or captive animal protected under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). A similar proposal to relax ESA protections for more than 500 foreign endangered species was shelved last year in the face of massive public opposition and heavy criticism from scientists and legislators.

Decades of overhunting and habitat loss have driven the three antelope species to the very verge of extinction. The scimitar-horned oryx is already extinct in the wild and subject to an ongoing conservation breeding program in global zoos. The addax is considered by biologists to be critically endangered, with most wild populations already gone. The dama gazelle has a wild population of fewer than 700 animals. Yet big game hunters have successfully kept the three species off the official list of endangered species for more than ten years. The FWS first proposed listing the species in 1991.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is labeling this a 'conservation' proposal, but it's quite the opposite," says Patricia Forkan, senior vice president for international programs with The HSUS, and head of its international division, Humane Society International (HSI). "It's nothing more than a 'canned hunt exemption' to the Endangered Species Act so that American trophy hunters can bag more of these prized animals for their den-room displays."

"Captive breeding programs for these species have been in place for four decades now, and U.S. game ranches have contributed very little to them. The suggestion that these ranches are promoting conservation is laughable," said Carroll Muffett, Senior Director for International Conservation at Defenders of Wildlife. "If the Administration were truly committed to the survival of these species, it would finalize the endangered species listings that have languished for more than a dozen years, and provide real support for on-the-ground conservation in the range countries. Instead, they've reverted to their tired and discredited philosophy that killing an endangered species is the best way to save it."

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 480,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, subscribe to DENlines, Defenders of Wildlife's electronic update and action alert network.

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Contact(s):

William Lutz, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0269
Karen Allanach, Humane Society of the United States, (301) 548-7778