They call it the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement, or SHARE, Act. It sounds pretty harmless, but don’t let that fool you: this legislation includes some of the most destructive measures related to trophy hunting, predator killing, and wildlife poisoning ever assembled in one package. And it has already passed the House.
If enacted, the SHARE Act (H.R. 2406) would remove federal protections for gray wolves, expand trapping and recreational shooting on public lands, block efforts to restrict the use of toxic lead ammunition, block efforts to crack down on the global ivory trade, and even allow the importation of trophy polar bears from Canada, despite a 2012 law that banned it.
Bear in mind, this bill is not directed at the regular deer or duck hunter. It caters exclusively to the wealthiest special interest trophy hunters, and has little to nothing to do with your average “sportsman.”
We must call on President Obama to stop this bill before it causes immeasurable harm to wildlife and our environment. Please contact him by e-mail–here is link: whitehouse.gov/contact to veto H.R. 2406 if it lands on his desk. Better still call your Congressional Reprehensive. If you don’t know who she or he is, here is the link to the House website where you can get that information as well as contact information.
house.gov/representatives/#name_c
Each of these measures is worse than the last. The use of lead ammunition in hunting, for example, has long been known to wreak havoc on wildlife, killing 15 to 20 million animals, from bald eagles to grizzly bears, every year, after they ingest lead from leftovers of hunted carcasses. These bullets pose a risk for hunters too, since the meat from animals shot can contain lead shards. The bill would prohibit federal agencies, and the scientists that work for them, from carrying out their duty to evaluate and protect the public and environment from toxic substances such as lead. The repercussions are unthinkable.
President Obama just made heartening strides toward restricting the importation and trade of ivory, which is the #1 cause of the rapidly declining population of African elephants. But one elephant still dies every 15 minutes due to poaching and/or trophy hunting. At this rate, these majestic creatures could be extinct within ten years. And, most alarming, there is a direct link between the illegal ivory trade and global terrorism.
It is hard to believe there can be so much bad in a single bill. This is the most destructive anti-wildlife proposal ever to come to Congress, and we must not allow it to become law.
Please get everyone you know to take this action.