Friday, December 19th, 2003
PAWS
Actionline
A weekly opportunity
to make a difference
for animals
PAWS Campaign Against Circuses That Use Performing Animals
Important Links
PAWS Animal Cruelty Resources and Links
Legislative Links
Washington State- House of Representatives
- Senate
Federal
- House of Representatives
- Senator Maria Cantwell
- Senator Patty Murray
Vote Smart is an excellent resource for all sorts of legislation.
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Progressive Animal
Welfare Society
PO Box 1037
Lynnwood WA, 98046
Big news! Congress Passes Captive Wildlife Safety Act!
On Monday, December 8th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act (H.R. 1006), which declares it a prohibited act for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any prohibited wildlife species. The U.S. Senate passed the bill last month. This legislation made it through both houses of Congress intact, demonstrating that democrats and republicans can work together on animal issues! Now the act goes to President Bush for his signature. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 exotic cats are kept as "pets" in the United States, posing a danger to both animal welfare and public safety.
What you can do: It’s very important to voice your support of the Captive Wildlife Safety Act by calling and/or writing the White House to urge President Bush to sign the Act into law as soon as possible.
Please send President Bush an email at: president@whitehouse.gov or leave him a message (202) 456-1414.
Help is Needed to Pass Critical Legislation to Protect Exotic Animals in Washington State
PAWS is particularly excited about the passage of the Captive Wildlife Safety Act because of our legislative efforts to ban the private possession of certain wild and dangerous animals in Washington State. PAWS’ exotics bill (HB 1151) has widespread, bi-partisan support in the state legislature, as well as support from the USDA, Washington Animal Control Association, Woodland Park Zoo, and other important state agencies and animal welfare groups. HB 1151 passed the full Washington State House of Representatives last year by a two-thirds majority.
Passage of the Captive Wildlife Safety Act will facilitate our efforts to pass HB 1151 in Washington State, and to ultimately prevent individuals from possessing animals who are wild by nature and should not be kept in captivity. In addition, such legislation will protect public safety. With few regulations currently in place, reports of animal attacks and fatalities due to exotic pets are becoming increasingly common.
What you can do: The WA State legislative session convenes January 12, 2003. PAWS will be in Olympia working hard to pass this bill. If you are a Washington State resident, and would like to receive updates about the status of HB 1151, and keep informed about how you can help, please sign up to receive the PAWS Legislative Actionline. To sign up, contact Jennifer Hillman, (425) 742-4009, ext. 259, or jenniferh@paws.org.
WA Cat and Dog Group Raffles off Pig to Slaughter!
The Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals (HAVA Heart), located in Raymond, WA, is currently selling raffle tickets as a fundraiser. The big raffle prize is a pig, including processing and wrapping!
What you can do: Please call, email and write HAVA Heart's President before December 21st, the date of the drawing, and urge him to change the raffle prize to something that doesn’t involve pain and suffering. Point out that what HAVA Heart is doing is no better then a pig rescue group torturing and killing a dog to raise money. It’s not too late to change the prize, and there are a plethora of alternative raffle prizes that would raise money more effectively. Furthermore, HAVA Heart’s mission states that they serve the animals of the Twin Harbors region of Washington State- they do not distinguish between helping dogs and cats versus other animals. You might also mention that pigs are very intelligent animals, and that much of their behavior is similar to dogs.
Contact Information:
Ken Miller, HAVA Heart President
P.O. Box 403
Raymond, Washington 98577
Phone: (360) 942-3440
Email: info@hava-heart.org
Help Save New Jersey's Black Bears
Last week, hunters were permitted to kill bears in New Jersey for the first time in 33 years. The hunt, which opened December 8th, and continued until December 13th, claimed the lives of over 300 bears, including cubs. Last week’s hunt opened up a Pandora’s box of troubles for bears. As we speak, bowhunters are petitioning state wildlife officials to give them a chance to hunt bears as well. Help stop the future slaughter of bears in New Jersey by contacting the state's Governor, James McGreevey.
What you can do: Ask Governor McGreevey to pledge to stop all future bear hunts in New Jersey. Point out to Governor McGreevey that hunting and killing bears as a way to “manage” the population is not only cruel, but an ineffective method for managing wildlife populations.
If you live outside New Jersey, please let Governor McGreevey know that if he allows the hunting of bears to continue you will not spend your tourist dollars in the state. Call, write and/or fax a letter to the contact below:
Governor James E. McGreevey
PO Box 001
Trenton NJ 08625
tel. (609) 292-6000
fax (609) 292-3454 * (best fax)
email: www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html
Thank you for supporting the animals through these direct actions
Another action you can take to create a more compassionate and humane world is to financially contribute to PAWS, so if you havent done so already, please remember us in your year-end gift giving. All contributions to PAWS are tax deductible. To ensure proper crediting, your gift must be postmarked by December 31st. Thanks for your continued interest and support.
