AR-News: HUMANELines

Fri Mar 5 20:53:07 EST 2004

Issue 286 --- March 5, 2004
A Project of The Humane Society of the United States
and The Fund for Animals
http://www.humanelines.org/

UPDATE: COMMENT DEADLINE FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES
EXTENDED:
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has extended
the deadline for public comments on the Bush
Administration’s regulatory proposal to weaken the
federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) until Tuesday,
March 9, 2004. This is the same proposal put forth
last fall, in which the FWS sought to upend the ESA by
allowing big game hunters, skin traders, and circuses
in the U.S. to import any of the more than 500 foreign
endangered species protected by the ESA (see
HUMANElines Issue 267). This modification of ESA
regulations would be the most profoundly damaging
change for foreign endangered species in decades, and
it would likely threaten the survival of many species
the ESA currently protects. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Although the FWS fielded thousands of letters from
citizens last year asking officials to preserve the
integrity of the ESA, it now says that those comments
were based on “public confusion” about what the
proposed rule change will do. Let the FWS know that
you will not accept the Bush Administration’s attempts
to discount public opinion and bow to the whims of
trophy hunters and others who profit off the capture
and killing of endangered animals. Ask them to
preserve the integrity of the ESA and to NOT permit
the import of endangered species into the U.S. 
Time is short, so send your email to Chris Nolin,
Chief of the Division of Conservation and
Classification at the FWS by Tuesday, March 9 (5 p.m.
EST): fw9comments at fws.gov 
To read a sample letter, see:
http://www.stopextinction.org/Team/Team.cfm?ID=1380&c=1

To read the FWS' original proposed rule, please go to:
http://frwebgate4.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=50974013505+4+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

Or see the current notice regarding the reopened
public comment period on this proposed rule:
http://www.eswr.com/frr/f022304a.htm

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NEW JERSEY BEARS NOT OUT OF THE WOODS, BUT THERE’S
HOPE: 
Recent news reports indicate that Governor James
McGreevey of New Jersey is urging the state fish and
wildlife agency not to hold a bear hunt in 2004. The
reports note that McGreevey received more than 14,500
letters against the hunt (with just 2,800 for it), and
that this volume of correspondence exceeded that of
any other issue the governor has dealt with. Given
that no final action been proposed, it is important
that animal advocates, especially those in New Jersey,
make their view known to the governor. Every call,
every email, every letter truly makes a difference. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 
Please urge Governor McGreevey to use his authority to
halt any additional bear hunting in New Jersey. 
The Honorable James McGreevey
P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000
Fax: 609-292-3454
E-mail through website:
www.newjersey.gov/governor/govmail.html

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YOUR LETTERS WORK! 
In the last two weeks, your letters have made a
difference in two notorious cases of animal cruelty.
On Tuesday (3/2), a judge decided the fate of Robert
Lamano, the New Jersey man whose dog "Reno" died after
Lamano wrapped an entire role of electrical tape
around his muzzle, leaving him unable to eat, drink or
bark for help for weeks (see HUMANElines Issue 283).
At the sentencing hearing, the judge brought to court
the more than 500 letters he received from concerned
animal protection advocates nationwide. He then
modified the proposed plea agreement, doubling
Lamano's probationary period and mandating a
psychological evaluation. While The HSUS and activists
had urged the judge to reject the plea agreement and
impose jail time, it was clear at the sentencing
hearing that your letters had a significant impact on
the outcome of this case. 

Just a few days earlier in West Virginia, the man
responsible for starving his dog Sunbear to death was
handed the maximum sentence allowed under the law.
Sunbear died after his caretaker, Hubert Wilmer,
locked him inside a windowless laundry room, without
food or water, for at least six weeks (see HUMANElines
Issue 267). During the trial, the jury deliberated
just four minutes before returning a guilty verdict,
and the magistrate then gave Wilmer the maximum six
month jail sentence with a $1000 fine-- an almost
unheard of sentence for animal cruelty in West
Virginia. Kanawha County's Prosecuting Attorney
reported that he received more than 400 letters from
around the world—several of which he responded to
personally—about the Sunbear case. Since that time,
thanks in significant part to the outcry over the
Sunbear case, West Virginia passed a felony animal
cruelty law. 

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REGISTER TO VOTE AND HELP ANIMALS:
The 2004 presidential race is shaping up to be
extremely close and critical. Each and every vote will
be vital in determining the course this nation follows
in the future. The Student Animal Rights Alliance
(SARA) has partnered with Working Assets as part of a
national campaign to register voters for the critical
2004 election. Just go to
http://www.defendanimals.org/vote to register to vote
or change your registration address. Just fill out the
form, print and mail. It’s easy and quick. If you’re
already registered, please forward the link to friends
and family.

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To receive directly, call 202-955-3668 or email
humanelines at hsus.org For more information on
legislation, how to find your legislators, or past
HUMANElines, go to http://www.hsus.org/ or
http://www.fund.org/ 

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