Subject: HSU$ and wildlife legislation in the USA (fwd)
Date: Nov 20 10:09:52 2000
From: Deborah Wisti-Peterson - nyneve at u.washington.edu



hello tweets, i thought you all might be interested in reading this
message.

regards,

Deborah Wisti-Peterson, PhD Candidate nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
Life is better when you are reading a good book -- Author Tim Green



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 20 Nov 2000 00:35:01 -0800
Subject: HSU$ and wildlife legislation in the USA

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1108-149.html


HSUS: American Voters Side with Animal Protection Measures
U.S. Newswire
8 Nov 18:31
HSUS: American Voters Side With State Animal Protection Measures
To: National Desk
Contact: Nancy V. Perry, 202-955-3663 or
e-mail: nperry at hsus.org,
Howard White, 301-258-3072 or e-mail: hwhite at hsus.org,
both of The Humane Society of the United States


WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- American voters again
sided with animal protection issues during this election cycle,
continuing a trend that started back in 1990 with the passage of a
ban on trophy hunting of mountain lions in California, according to
officials of The Humane Society of the United States.

Voters adopted three new laws that protect animals, passing
Initiative 713 in Washington state, a measure to restrict
steel-jawed leghold trapping and poisoning of wildlife; voting to
adopt Initiative 143 to ban the shooting of captive animals on game
farms in Montana; and restoring a ban on same-day airborne shooting
of wolves (the "land-and-shoot measure") through Alaska's Measure
6. Voters also rejected ballot measures pushed by the hunting lobby
to thwart future animal protection ballot initiatives.

"Perhaps the most important aspect of these election results is
that attempts by the hunting industry to block future wildlife
initiatives have been thoroughly crushed," stated Wayne Pacelle,
Senior Vice President of The Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS). "The 2000 tally should mark the end of this industry's
movement to deny citizens the right to directly enact laws for
wildlife protection."

To their credit, says Pacelle, voters in Alaska rejected the
state's draconian Measure 1 which attempted to block voters from
enacting any future legislation to protect wildlife. A similarly
heavy-handed measure in Arizona, Proposition 102, demanding a
super-majority for approval of any kind of ballot initiative
relating to wildlife, also went down to defeat.

The overriding theme, notes Pacelle, was one of preserving the
right of voters to enact pro-animal legislation directly.

"Americans obviously believe in a fundamental way that animals
deserve humane and fair treatment and many policies targeted by the
initiatives were out of step with that prevailing sentiment," he
said.

Results of animal-related ballot measures as of 11/8/00:

ALASKA
Measure 1: FAILED (36 percent to 64 percent) -- would have
barred all citizen ballot initiatives relating to the protection of
wildlife.
Measure 6: PASSED (53 percent-47 percent) -- will retain the
prohibition of same-day airborne ("land-and-shoot") hunting of
wolves, which Alaskan voters banned in 1996.

ARIZONA
Proposition 102: FAILED (38 percent-62 percent) -- would have
required a two-thirds super-majority vote to approve any ballot
initiative relating to the protection of wildlife

MASSACHUSETTS
Question 3: FAILED (49 percent-51 percent) -- to prohibit dog
racing and meetings at which betting of wagering on dog racing
occurs.

MONTANA
Initiative 143: PASSED (52 percent-48 percent) -- will impose a
moratorium on new game farm licenses and will ban "canned hunts."

NORTH DAKOTA
Question 1: PASSED (77 percent-23 percent) -- will create a new
section of the North Dakota Constitution relating to the right to
hunt, trap, and fish

OREGON
Measure 97: FAILED (39 percent-61 percent) -- would have banned
the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and other body-gripping traps
for recreation and commerce in fur, and would have banned the use
of Compound 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) and sodium cyanide.

VIRGINIA
Question 2: PASSED (60 percent-40 percent) -- amends the
Virginia Constitution to establish a "right to hunt, fish, and
harvest game."

WASHINGTON
Initiative 713: PASSED (54 percent-46 percent) -- bans the use
of steel-jawed leghold traps and other body-gripping traps for
recreation or commerce in fur, and bans the use of Compound 1080
(sodium fluoroacetate) and sodium cyanide.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest
animal protection organization with more than seven million members
and constituents. For more information, contact The HSUS on the web
at http:/www.hsus.org and http://www.animalchannel.net.




KEYWORDS:

POLITICAL WILDLIFE

-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
11/08 18:31

Copyright 2000, U.S. Newswire
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