Connecticut Senate Bill 62 would ban the importation, sale and possession of six species of iconic African big game, including parts from elephant, black and white rhinoceros, lion, leopard and giraffe.
Take Action Today! Connecticut sportsmen should call their state Senator and ask them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 62. Connecticut members can contact their Senator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
It is legal for American hunters to harvest African big game species in accordance with proper import permits from both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the African countries where they hunt. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only issues import permits for hunts that occur in countries that maintain sound conservation plans that help improve threatened and endangered wildlife populations. Additionally, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 leaves the regulation of importing endangered wildlife to the federal government, not to individual states.
“This legislation is not written in the best interest of African wildlife or the African countries that rely on American big-game hunting dollars,” said Jacob Hupp associate director of state services at the Sportsmen’s Alliance.
A Northwest University of South Africa study found that South Africa receives $156 million in hunting-associated revenues and also found that the average hunter will spend close to $6,000 on lodging, food, clothing and equipment during their visit. Big-game hunting creates jobs for locals, injects millions of dollars into the African economy and funds anti-poaching efforts in Africa.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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