Humane Society International / United States
Region: United States
Indonesia, India, Vietnam among countries where wild animal markets pose a disease risk
Humane Society International / Global
WASHINGTON —Wildlife campaigners across the globe from animal charity Humane Society International have called for an urgent worldwide ban on the wildlife trade after China’s announcement that it will prohibit the buying and selling of wild animals for food in light of the mounting threat associated with coronavirus. The capture, market trade, and butchery of wild animal species for human consumption happens across large parts of Asia and Africa such as Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and West, Central and East Africa, as well as in Latin America, says HSI, posing a very real threat of spreading zoonotic and potentially fatal diseases. Governments around the world must take China’s lead and shut down this trade for good. HSI leadership in South Africa, Nepal, India, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Australia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica have joined the call for global action.
Jeffrey Flocken, HSI president, says: “China has taken decisive action to halt the wildlife trade for human consumption implicated in the global coronavirus crisis, but it would be a grave mistake for us to think that the threat is isolated to China. The capture and consumption of wild animals is a global trade that causes immense suffering for hundreds of thousands of animals every year, including endangered wildlife species being traded to the brink of extinction. The trade can also spawn global health crises like the current coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the deadly bird flu. Wildlife markets across the globe, but particularly in Asia and Africa, are widespread and could easily be the start of disease outbreaks in the future.”
In the north eastern states of India, wild species such as the Chinese pangolin and several species of wild birds are routinely sold for human consumption. Bengal monitor lizard meat is also consumed across India, driven mainly by the superstitious belief that the fat stored in the tail can cure arthritis, and meat from the Indian flap-shell turtle is also popular across the country, despite both species being listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In some north Indian states, owl eyes are also consumed for their perceived medicinal benefits for human vision.
Indonesia also has hundreds of “extreme” animal markets where the conditions are the same as those described by scientists as the perfect breeding ground for new and deadly zoonotic viruses, such as coronaviruses. Wild animals are sold and slaughtered in public and unsanitary conditions. The trade takes place alongside that of dogs and cats which itself has already been shown to pose a risk of rabies transmission. In January this year, Humane Society International wrote to Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo as part of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, calling for urgent measures to ensure that Indonesia does not become the next point of origin of a deadly virus by tackling the risk posed by these animal markets.
Mr. Flocken adds: “We already know that dog and cat meat markets in Indonesia are a hotbed for disease transmission, and we also know from our investigations that rabies-positive dogs are being sold and slaughtered for consumption in these markets. Given that dogs are caged and slaughtered alongside wild animals such as snakes, bats and rats, Indonesia must surely take preventative measures now to ensure it does not become the next point of origin of a deadly virus. Similar risks can be observed in wild animal markets across the globe and especially in Asia and Africa. The trade in wildlife is a global crisis that calls for global action, now.”
Wild meat consumption is also an issue in Vietnam where wild pig, goat and bird species are eaten as well as softshell turtle, bear, snake, pangolin and civet, and snake wine is also consumed. A number of studies conducted in recent years reveal that a significant percentage of the Vietnamese population consumes wild animals.
Bush meat, including that derived from primates, is still consumed in many parts of Africa. Earlier this month, the Tanzanian government endorsed the establishment of butcheries specifically for the bushmeat trade. And in South Africa, approximately 12,000 lions are captive bred in deplorable conditions, to facilitate the export of lion skeletons to Southeast Asia for tiger bone wine. Lions are hosts for the tuberculosis (TB) virus, which can survive in bones ground to powder.
In Guatemala and El Salvador, meat from crocodile, iguana and other reptiles is often eaten during Lent despite it being illegal to do so.
This week, the National People’s Congress, the Chinese national legislature, elevated an originally temporary ban on wildlife trade for human consumption from an administrative action to the level of a national law. Specifically, the announcement, issued as an emergency measure, creates a comprehensive ban on the trade in terrestrial wild animals bought and sold for food, including those who are bred or reared in captivity.
Download video footage of Indonesia’s wild animal and dog/cat meat markets here: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Indonesia%20Extreme%20Markets
ENDS
Media contact: Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org
Humane Society International / United States
The National Institutes of Health has betrayed their commitment to retire all federally owned and supported chimpanzees to a sanctuary.
Donald Trump Jr. was a speaker at the February 5 to 8 convention in Reno
Humane Society International / United States
WASHINGTON — An undercover investigation last week by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International exposed exhibitors peddling wild animal products at the Safari Club International convention in Reno, Nevada. Items found for sale include belts and boots made of elephants, hippos and stingrays, which likely violate Nevada’s wildlife trafficking law.
Among the other items for sale were boots made of giraffe skin ($1,390) and kangaroo skin ($1,080), and trips to hunt Asiatic black bears, giraffes, elephants, lions, hippos and more. One outfitter said hunting a giraffe costs “only” $1,200 because they have “too many giraffes” and need to “get rid of the animals.”
For the second year in a row, the investigator found “canned” lion hunts for sale, where customers pay to shoot a captive-bred lion, violating SCI’s own ban that it implemented in February 2018. In his sales pitch, one vendor bragged that his safari company holds five of the top 10 lions ever recorded in SCI’s Record Book.
Among the featured speakers and entertainers at the convention were Donald Trump Jr. and the Beach Boys. A “dream hunt” with Donald Trump Jr. aboard a luxury yacht in Alaska to kill black-tailed deer and sea ducks was sold to two winners for auction at a total of $340,000. A taxidermy ibex mountain goat that Trump Jr. killed was on display on the convention floor.
Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This convention does nothing other than celebrate senseless violence towards wildlife. For far too long SCI has chosen profits and bragging rights over conservation, ethics and the law, and has been trying to convince the public that the display of thousands of dead animal trophies, parts and products is somehow beneficial to conservation. The public isn’t falling for it anymore. Wild animals are not commodities to be sold, with their deaths something to celebrate. This needs to end.”
This is not the first time that vendors at SCI’s convention defied local authorities. Last year a dozen vendors were found selling illegal wildlife products in potential violation of the state law. HSUS and HSI have submitted evidence of the violations of state law to local enforcement authorities.
Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, “No animals are off limit to trophy hunters. From shooting giraffes, hyenas, zebras, elephants, hippopotamus to primates and lions, the trophy hunting industry reveals its true nature – one that is motivated by the thrill to kill, and not by conservation.”
Hunting trips for sale at the convention included:
- A $350,000 hunt for a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia.
- An outfitter advertised its “Trump Special” – a $25,000 hunt for a buffalo, sable, roan and crocodile.
- Advertised as a “bargain” was a captive-bred lion hunt for $8,000 in South Africa.
- A $6,000 hunt for any six animals that a customer can choose to kill in South Africa. The offerings were: zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, impalas, hartebeest, gemsbok, nyala and waterbuck.
- A polar bear hunt in Canada was offered for sale for $35,000.
- An Asiatic black bear hunt in Russia sold for $15,000.
- A 15-day Alaska hunt to kill a brown bear, black bear, mountain goat and wolf was sold for $25,000.
The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and the Humane Society Legislative Fund are urging the public to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny any import request for the trophy of a rare argali sheep that Trump Jr. killed in Mongolia last year.
“No one is above the law—not these outfitters, not the wealthy elite, and not our agencies. Shooting ESA listed species does not enhance their survival and it’s time we make that irrevocably clear,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We are fighting for strong legislation that puts an end to our country’s significant contribution to this inhumane practice based on vanity and colonialist fantasies.”
Additionally the organizations are urging the public to ask their members of U.S. Congress to support H.R. 4804, the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies Act (ProTECT Act) and H.R.2245 the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act (CECIL Act), which would significantly withdraw the U.S.’s prominent role in global trophy hunting of imperiled species.
Photos/video for download from the 2020 investigation.
Media contacts:
The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society Legislative Fund:
Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org
Humane Society International:
Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org
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Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to Kitty Block’s blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast.
Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.
The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.
Court ruling still required to block federal use of illicit council’s recommendations
Humane Society International / United States
WASHINGTON — After a key legal defeat, the Department of the Interior told a federal district court in New York late Friday that no future meetings of the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC) will take place, bringing an end to the controversial council.
Environmental and animal advocacy groups sued over the IWCC—composed largely of hunting and gun advocates—and chartered by the Trump Administration to advise on the trophy hunting of elephants, lions, and other threatened wildlife. The court recently rejected the administration’s motion to dismiss that case.
“The IWCC’s disbandment is a huge victory in the fight against the Trump administration’s illegal advisory bodies, said Democracy Forward senior counsel Travis Annatoyn. “But the fight isn’t over.”
Democracy Forward is representing the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the IWCC under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The disbandment announcement came on the heels of a slew of FACA lawsuits against the administration.
“I have little doubt our litigation spurred the administration’s decision to abandon the IWCC and walk away from its biased and un-transparent practices,” said Zak Smith, international wildlife conservation director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We’re glad the Trump administration is closing shop on this ridiculously misguided council and we await a full accounting of its tainted work product.”
Disbanding the council is a step forward for wildlife, but the IWCC’s advice, reports, and recommendations also violate FACA and legally cannot influence Interior’s decision-making. Federal law requires government advisory panels to be in the public interest, fairly balanced and protected against improper influence by special interests.
“The end of Trump’s thrill-kill council is a huge victory for elephants, lions and other imperiled animals targeted by trophy hunters,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s still critical to address this biased committee’s past legal violations and prevent self-serving advice from trophy hunters from poisoning federal wildlife policies.”
The council met five times since its creation in 2017, but the Trump administration has allowed the IWCC’s charter to lapse, meaning it can no longer use taxpayer dollars to convene.
Interior’s filing was submitted as Safari Club International’s Reno, Nevada convention kicked off where the organization auctions off numerous hunting trips, including many targeted at imperiled foreign species.
“SCI’s use of taxpayer dollars to unduly influence international wildlife policy has come to an end, in yet another sign that the unsustainable and inhumane trophy hunting industry is closer to becoming a thing of the past,” said Anna Frostic, senior vice president for programs and policy for Humane Society International and representing the Humane Society of the United States.
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke created the IWCC in November 2017 with a mission of promoting the benefits of international trophy hunting. Trump’s Interior Department rejected all nominations from conservation, public interest, or science groups, and instead stacked the Council with friendly political donors, firearm manufacturers and advocates for trophy hunting, many of whom stand to benefit from changes to federal policy.
Media contacts:
The Humane Society of the United States:
Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org
Humane Society International:
Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org
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Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org.
Subscribe to Kitty Block’s blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast.
Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.
Humane Society International / United States
WASHINGTON — Thousands of trophy hunters from around the world will gather next week in Reno, Nevada (February 5 through 8), for Safari Club International’s annual convention, which will feature approximately 870 exhibitors showcasing and selling trophy hunting opportunities and wildlife parts and products – from animal heads to hides. In addition, trophy hunter Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to speak at the event on February 8.
Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This annual event is the largest meeting in the world of people who celebrate the senseless killing, buying and selling of dead animals for bragging rights. As our planet suffers an extinction crisis, it is business as usual for the trophy hunting industry and SCI, who continue to revel in spending millions of dollars every year to destroy imperiled wildlife.”
The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International have analyzed the products promoted for sale and auctions of trophy hunts by exhibitors attending the upcoming 2020 convention. Among those are more than 300 trophy hunts in the U.S. and abroad whose starting bids range from $1,650 to $100,000 each. These hunts will kill at least 860 animals of over 50 species, including black bears, wolves, leopards and elephants. The auctions are expected to bring in more than $5 million to SCI. One of the hunts up for bid is a black-tailed deer hunt with Donald Trump Jr. in Alaska for $17,000.
Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, “The trophy hunting industry’s conservation claim is shattered by SCI’s promotion of and profit from killing rare and imperiled animals. Trophy hunting is unethical, ecologically devastating and inflicts tremendous cruelty on wild animals. It’s time that we move beyond a colonial pastime and celebrate wild animals in their natural environment.”
In addition to Donald Trump Jr. speaking at the event, the Beach Boys and Charlie Daniels are scheduled to perform at the convention. The group REO Speedwagon had been scheduled, but they pulled out of the event and HSUS and HSI applauds their decision.
According to reports, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi is slated to attend this year’s convention to accept an award. Last year, the government of Botswana lifted a ban on elephant hunting in the country, for which he received SCI’s praise, despite local and international backlash and opposition from elephant experts.
The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are urging the public to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny any authorization for Trump Jr. to import the trophy of an Argali sheep he killed in Mongolia last year
Photos/video from the 2019 SCI convention.
Media contacts:
The Humane Society of the United States:
Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org
Humane Society International:
Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org
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Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org.
Subscribe to Kitty Block’s blog, A Humane World. Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter. Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast.
Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.
World’s most illegally trafficked mammal in grave danger of extinction
Humane Society International / United States
WASHINGTON— Wildlife conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to force officials to propose Endangered Species Act protections for critically imperiled pangolins.
Today’s lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that pangolins, which inhabit Asia and Africa, are in grave danger of extinction. A massive demand for their scales, erroneously believed to have curative properties in East Asian medicine, and their meat, consumed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, has fueled their decline.
“These odd, adorable animals may look like pinecones with legs, but the massive trafficking in pangolin parts is no joke,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If poachers keep killing thousands of pangolins a week, they’ll disappear in decades. The Trump administration needs to help protect these unique creatures from exploitation and extinction.”
The world’s only mammal with scales, pangolins are also the world’s most trafficked mammals. Between 2004 and 2014, more than a million were illegally traded — an average of nearly 300 animals killed per day. Despite a 2016 ban on the international commercial trade in pangolin parts, several massive seizures in Singapore, Malaysia and China in 2019, representing tens of thousands of dead pangolins, show rampant illegal trade continues.
“The United States’ delay in listing these species belies its role as a leader in combating poaching worldwide,” said Adam Peyman, programs and operations manager for Humane Society International and co-author of the 2015 listing petition. “The U.S. market for pangolin products feeds poaching and trafficking in the countries where the animals are found. By giving all pangolin species the Endangered Species Act protection they desperately need, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have the tools it needs to stop U.S. trade in pangolin parts.”
While most illegally sourced pangolins are destined for markets in China and Vietnam, the United States also drives demand. At least 26,000 imports of pangolin products were seized in the United States between 2004 and 2013, and a 2015 report by Humane Society International found “medicinal” products containing or likely to contain pangolin parts openly for sale online and at U.S. stores.
“Pangolins cruelly suffer and die for their meat and the so-called medicinal properties of their scales. It is past time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to take action to prevent the illegal trade and eventual extinction of this species,” said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA.
One pangolin species, the Temminck’s ground pangolin, is already protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In July 2015 wildlife groups petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the other seven pangolin species. The law required the Service to either propose protections or find protections “not warranted” by July 2016, more than three and a half years ago.
“The Trump administration should get with the program and do its part to save pangolins.” said Elly Pepper, deputy director of international wildlife conservation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “With scientists predicting the extinction of over one million species, the time for transformative change is now. We must rein in destructive consumption patterns like those decimating pangolins.”
Today’s suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If pangolins are protected as endangered, the law would prohibit the import and interstate sale of pangolin parts in the United States, except for scientific or other conservation purposes. Listing would also heighten global awareness about pangolins and their threats and make funding available for anti-trafficking and habitat conservation efforts.
Contacts:
- Nancy Hwa, Humane Society International, (202) 676-2337, Nhwa@hsi.org
- Rodi Rosensweig, the Humane Society of the United States, (203) 270-8929, RRosensweig@humansociety.org
- Sarah Uhlemann, Center for Biological Diversity, (206) 327-2344, suhlemann@biologicaldiversity.org
- Garrett Johnson, Born Free USA, (202) 368-6833, garrett@bornfreeusa.org
- Daniela Arellano, Natural Resources Defense Council, (310) 434-2304, darellano@nrdc.org
Humane Society International / Global
With the plant-based eating movement enjoying such momentum in 2019, this holiday season Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States invite you to celebrate in delicious, international plant-based style! Our colleagues around the world have chosen some of their favorite holiday recipes to share with you and your loved ones to kick off an even more humane 2020.
There are many reasons to eat more plant-based foods – for your health, for the animals and for the environment. This holiday season why not let plants take more of the starring role with some of our favorite recipes from around the globe.
Brazil: Festive rice
Treat your taste buds to the flavors of Brazil with this festive rice dish. This recipe is a simple one to prepare and can be made in advance and then warmed before serving.
Canada: Stuffed acorn squash
Whether making this for yourself on a cozy night in or serving this to guests, our aromatic stuffed acorn squash is sure to be hit.
South Africa: Sweet and sour “chicken” and mushroom braai pie
Have you ever barbequed a pie? Try a taste of South Africa this holiday season with this sweet and sour “chicken” and mushroom braai pie! Fun fact: the term braai is Afrikaans for barbeque or grill, so fire up that grill and get braaing.
Southeast Asia: Mango delice
Mango sticky rice, although traditionally a Thai dessert, is immensely popular throughout Southeast Asia. Bring these tropical flavors into your home this holiday season with this mango delice—a delicate dessert sure to melt in your mouth!
United Kingdom: Mushroom chestnut and parsnip barley bake
Delight your guests over the holidays with a beautiful plant-based centerpiece. This recipe for a delicious mushroom chestnut and parsnip barley bake is bound to impress all your dinner guests.
United States: Old fashioned apple pie
Though it is said to have originated in England some 600 years ago, apple pie is a delicious American favorite. This classic dessert and comfort food is simple to make entirely plant-based.
Vietnam: Summer rolls with peanut sauce
In Vietnam, fried spring rolls (nem rán/chả giò) are always a signature feature of a festive meal. Try a healthier twist on this classic recipe with the bold, fresh flavors of summer rolls in a creamy peanut sauce.
Throughout the year, the food and nutrition teams of HSI and HSUS teach the culinary staff at schools, colleges and universities, workplaces, healthcare facilities and more how to prepare and menu tasty, nutritious and creative plant-based meals. In 2019 alone, HSI hosted more than 150 culinary events globally, training over 1,330 food service professionals across Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. For more information about these trainings, contact Stefanie McNerney at smcnerney@hsi.org. Since 2015, the HSUS has trained nearly 11,000 foodservice professionals and helped over 600 institutions throughout the United States adopt plant-based initiatives. To learn more about training benefits and opportunities, contact Maria Katrien Heslin at mheslin@humanesociety.org.
Humane Society International / United States
Today conservation and animal protection organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking them to deny the import permit for the horns, skin or other parts of a trophy-hunted argali sheep killed by Donald Trump Jr. in Mongolia.
The letter details why the U.S. Endangered Species Act, under which argali are protected, cannot be used to authorize the import. Argali are threatened by overhunting, and now climate change and habitat loss are also threats to the species. The August kill was reportedly made without the required Mongolian hunting permit. Only after Trump Jr. left Mongolia — on Sept. 2, 2019 — was a permit issued.
Today’s letter states that “issuing an import permit or other authorization to Donald Trump Jr., a well-known public figure, could set a precedent that both increases other trophy hunters’ desire for argali trophies and establishes that ‘after-the-fact’ permitting of trophy hunts is acceptable.”
“Letting Trump Jr.’s sheep trophy into the U.S. would signal that wealthy Westerners can sneer at laws aimed at protecting rare animals from extinction,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we’re going to halt the extinction crisis, we can’t let trophy hunters pay to ignore the Endangered Species Act and kill imperiled species for fun.”
“Although President Trump has called trophy hunting a ‘horror show,’ Donald Trump Jr. continues to gallivant around the world to kill imperiled species while claiming to support wildlife conservation,” said Anna Frostic, senior vice president representing Humane Society International, the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “The legality of his latest hunt in Mongolia is questionable and it would be unlawful for USFWS to authorize the import of this trophy.”
Questions remain over whether the issuance of a permit after a hunt comports with Mongolian law. Argali are the world’s largest sheep. Their beautiful, curling horns – which reach up to six feet in length – are coveted by trophy hunters. Between 2007 and 2018, U.S. trophy hunters imported 65 argali trophies from Mongolia.
The letter was sent by the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, the Humane Society of the United States, and Humane Society Legislative Fund.
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Media contact: Nancy Hwa, Humane Society International, nhwa@hsi.org, 202-596-0808 (cell)
Humane Society International / United States