Connecticut – -(AmmoLand.com)- Safari Club International President Paul Babaz today praised efforts that killed an anti-hunting bill in Connecticut’s Assembly.
The Connecticut Assembly adjourned sine die for the current session, handing anti-hunting groups a stinging defeat by failing to advance Senate Bill 20, which would have blocked importation of elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and giraffe parts from Africa.
“Hunters and wildlife conservationists around the world, especially in Africa, are overjoyed to see that Connecticut’s SB 20 failed to secure passage in the state House of Representatives,” Babaz said. “SCI orchestrated its grassroots and other resources in the state to educate, advocate, and defend the use of hunting as a wildlife conservation tool. SB 20 was a reckless, partisan assault on the basics of wildlife science. Far from protecting certain animals, the drafters of SB 20 would have condemned them to more poaching and further population decline.
“SB 20 was based on the erroneous belief that politicians in Hartford, Connecticut know best how to manage wildlife in countries halfway across the globe. Further, it is highly unlikely that any SB 20 supporter consulted an African wildlife manager or even the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before introducing the bill,” Babaz continued. “But by banning imports SB 20 would have caused more harm than good. Regulated international hunting is beneficial to wildlife conservation and this fact is recognized by authorities such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Instead of seeking to criminalize Connecticut’s hunters, members of the Assembly should consider leaving wildlife conservation to the experts or to wildlife managers in the sovereign African countries responsible for these species,” Babaz explained.
“While SCI members view the failure of SB 20 as a win for international hunting, make no mistake, we will not be backing down or shrinking from the fight—in Connecticut or anywhere. SCI will aggressively defend international hunting as a tool for conserving Africa’s most treasured species.”
Safari Club International
Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.SafariClub.org, or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.
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www.SafariClub.org