FW: Kangaroo Hearing Tuesday - please help!

[Guest guest]

API is the only group distributing an alert for the kangaroos right now.

 

PLEASE distribute widely. THE HEARING IS TUESDAY.

 

California Residents: Speak Out for KangaroosPlease take action today to protect kangaroos from falling victim to commercial interests. If passed, AB 734 would remove the existing ban on the importation and sale of any part or product made of kangaroo.Existing law prohibits the importation or commercial trade in the bodies and body parts of certain animals. The list of animals includes kangaroos, tigers, polar bears, and other rare wild animals. However, AB 734 would require that, of the animals on this list, kangaroos be listed as endangered before receiving these protections under state law. In other words, it would require that certain species of kangaroos be driven to the brink of extinction before being afforded protection from commercial exploitation by fashion and sporting wear industries. This bill, AB 734, has been introduced in an attempt to eliminate longstanding protections for kangaroos.The commercial use and sale of wildlife often results in over-exploitation and abuse because financial incentive can override responsible management. For these reasons, California for many years has strongly restricted or prohibited the commercial use of its own native wildlife species. Likewise, we should continue to extend the same responsibility and consideration to the wildlife of other countries.What You Can DoPlease do the following to help protect animals the kangaroos:1. Please contact your state Senator and urge him/her to oppose AB 734. Letters, calls, faxes, and emails are requested. Talking points are listed below.If you do not know the name of your Senator, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html. Enter your zip code and press “search” and you will be given the name and contact information of your Senator. Or you can call the Government Information Hotline at 916-322-9900 and give the operator your address — the operator will tell you the name of your Senator and you can leave your message for him/her through the operator.Please address letter(s) to:The Honorable [full name of Senator]California State SenateSacramento, CA 958142. This bill will be heard before the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on June 20. If your Senator is a member of this committee (members listed below), it is even more important that you write/email/fax and urge him/her to oppose AB 734.NOTE: The committee will not be accepting public testimony; it will be a vote only as this committee heard this bill before.You can make the following points when you contact your Senator:*Please write/state that you are a constituent.*The existing law — which would be watered down by AB 734 — was enacted to protect certain "look-alike" species so that Californians do not unwittingly contribute to the extinction of a species.*California law and federal laws prohibit the sale of seal products from Canada because of the cruel killing, not because the seals are endangered. Why should it be different for kangaroos?*If the kangaroo is a mother and she has a baby in her pouch, the baby is taken out and killed by a heavy blow to the head. Killing the adults for their skins and killing the babies in the pouches is just asking for a decline in their populations.*Kangaroos are wild and are shot at night by hunters. Under those conditions, the hunters are not always able to distinguish between those kangaroos that are legally allowed to be killed and other kangaroos that are endangered. For example, in Queensland, Australia, the Western Grey Kangaroo is not allowed to be killed, but it can be mistaken for the Eastern Grey which is allowed to be hunted.*As the bill states, there are some kangaroos that already are endangered.Questions? Please contact Barb Schmitz at bschmitz or call 916-447-3085 x208.Members of Senate Committee on Natural Resources and WaterSenator Sheila Kuehl (Chair)916-651-4023916-324-4823 faxSenator Bob Margett (Vice-Chair)916-651-4029916-324-0922 faxSenator Samuel Aanestad916-651-4004Senator Christine Kehoe916-651-4039916-327-2188 faxSenator Alan Lowenthal916-651-4027916-327-9113 faxSenator Michael Machado916-651-4005916-323-2304 faxSenator Carole Migden916-651-4003916-445-4722 fax