LIOC Official Statement Regarding the Shambala Bill

LIOC Official Statement Regarding the Shambala Bill

Shambala Bill Would Hurt Wildlife Conservation

"I will accompany my mother on a trip to Washington D.C. on the 29th of March in an effort to promote legislation that will ban private ownership of wild animals."

Melanie Griffith,
daughter of Tippi Hedren,
the director of Shambala

In recent months, Tippi Hedren and her supporters have been promoting a proposed amendment to the Animal Welfare Act they call the Shambala Bill. They claim this amendment is needed to protect the welfare of captive wildlife and eliminate a significant threat to public health and safety. In reality if this bill is enacted it would provide little or no increase in public safety and have a major negative impact on the future of wildlife conservation efforts in the U.S.

The true goal of the Shambala Bill is best expressed by Tippi Hedren's daughter, Melanie Griffith who stated,"I will accompany my mother on a trip to Washington D.C. on the 29th of March in an effort to promote legislation that will ban private ownership of wild animals."

The Shambala Bill is not a about helping animals but rather about furthering an extreme animal rights agenda that embraces a philosophy that animals are better off dead than in captivity. If you truly care about the welfare of wild animals you must oppose the Shambala Bill.

By far and away the single largest threat to the future of wild feline populations is habitat fragmentation and destruction caused by the conversion of natural habitat to meet the ever expanding needs of a rapidly growing human population. Over 6 billion at last count. Currently over 2/3 of the 37 generally recognized species of wild feline are classified as threatened or endangered or have one or more subspecies that are so classified. Within the lifetime of many individuals alive today the Caspian Cheetah, the Barbary Lion and Serval, the Caspian, Bali, and Javan Tiger, the Eastern Cougar, and several other subspecies of wild feline have been driven to extinction. Several other species teeter on the brink.

Given the existing situation, responsible captive husbandry is a necessary precaution for ensuring the long term survival of the remaining species. The world's zoos are doing all that they can but they simple do not have the funding nor the space to help all the species in need. In addition, the need to satisfy the demands of the paying public upon which they are dependent for funding imposes significant restrains on collection management that are not always consistent with the needs of individual animals and the species they represent.

Currently there are a total of about 1600 wild felines in zoos accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The membership of the LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation, a non-profit organization for private owners of wild felines, holds about 1500 wild felines and it is estimated that there may be as many as 15,000 wild felines in private hands in the U.S. There are also thousands of wild canides, and simians in private hands. Clearly the private sector has much to offer main stream captive conservation efforts, and private owners have made significant contributions. The American Bison exist today largely as a result of the efforts of private individuals. The first consistently successful captive breeding programs for cheetah, clouded leopards, and several species of small wild felines from South America were accomplished in the private sector, as was the first successful propagation of the highly endangered snow leopard in the US. That the huge conservation potential of the private sector has not yet been fully realized has been recognized by both the AZA and the private sector and efforts are being made by both parties to improve sharing of information, cooperation, and coordination.

There is no doubt that in the hands of inexperienced, careless, or irresponsible individuals the six largest species of wild feline; tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard, and cougar, have the potential to pose a significant threat to individuals who come in contact with them. However, the remaining 32 species of wild feline have average weights under 35 pounds and simply do not posses the strength to pose a significant hazard. In fact, many of other species of animal mentioned in the Shambala Bill are no larger than medium size domestic dogs or cats. In 1998 the LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation conducted a nation wide survey of injuries resulting from private captive husbandry of wild felines. The results of this survey indicate that the actual level of risk associated with private captive husbandry of wild felines, on a per animal bases, is comparable to the risks associated with other more common activities such as ownership of domestic dogs and operation of motor vehicles.

Let there be no doubt, there are inexperienced, careless, and irresponsible individuals who own or provide care for wild or exotic animals. But such individuals are the exception not the rule, and their presence is not confined to the private sector. As with drunk drivers, and abusive parents, the actions of a few irresponsible animal owners that result in severe injury or death are real tragedies and make spectacular news stories. But the actions of such individuals are not representative of the vast majority of individuals who are not drunk drivers, who do a good job raising their children, or are responsible caregivers committed to sound husbandry practices for the animals in their care.

There are already numerous local, state, and federal laws on the books that apply to animal cruelty or neglect, reckless endangerment, attractive nuisances, child endangerment, and personal liability. In addition, all but 14 states already regulate private ownership of exotic wild felines, and all states regulate the possession of native species of wild felines such as bobcats, lynx, and cougars where such populations exist. The LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation has nearly completed drafting model regulations that will be offered to states that currently do not fully regulate ownership of wild felines or who wish to revise their existing statutes. Individuals engaged in commercial activities that involve wildlife are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act, and the import and export of threatened or endangered species is regulated under the Endangered Species Act. Additional Federal laws and specifically the Shambala Bill are simply not needed.

In a world where a rapidly growing human population is placing ever increasing demands on steadily diminishing natural resources some hard decisions need to be made about what to hold on to and what to let go. A captive wild feline, no matter how well cared for is not the same as one in the wild, but is a vast improvement over no wild felines of that specie at all. Captive husbandry practiced by responsible private owners has made significant contributions to overall captive conservation efforts and can do even more in the future. Remember, Extinction Is Forever.

In closing I urge you once more. If you care about the future of wild animals, speak out in opposition to the Shambala Bill.

The LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization for private owners of wild felines. The goal of the organization is to promote responsibility in private captive husbandry of wild felines and to educate the public in the need for sound conservation management of these species.

For more information email:Lynn Culver (culvers@voltage.net), orGeorge Stowers (gstowers@twcny.rr.com) or write:

LIOC-ESCF
P.O. Box 22085
Phoenix, AZ 85028

Respectfully,

George Stowers
Vice-President,
LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation