<![CDATA[Wildlife Action Alerts from Care2]]> <![CDATA[Stop Canada's Cruel and Senseless Seal Hunt!]]> Nearly 1 million baby seals will be clubbed or shot to death in Canada in just three years. Shockingly, the hunt is subsidized by the Canadian government!

Every winter, Northwest Atlantic harp seals migrate to Eastern Canada to give birth and mate. Following their birth in late winter, mothers leave in search of mates, while the pups remain helpless and vulnerable on the ice until they can swim and catch their own food. It’s during this time when they are most vulnerable that they are mercilessly slaughtered for their pelts!

Hunters armed with clubs and rifles will bludgeon to death hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals. About 96% of the seals killed will be less than three months old and more than 40% may be skinned alive!

Canada's seal hunt is the largest deliberate slaughter of marine mammals in the world. But the killing of baby seals doesn't make sense economically or ecologically, nor is it sustainable. It's simply a tragic slaughter of defenseless animals that benefits a small minority of boat captains armed with big ships, snowmobiles and even personal helicopters. This isn't about small town survival or tradition, it's an industrial killing machine for profit.

But Canada wants the media and public to believe that no one cares about the innocent blood spilled each year across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This year's hunt will continue until the industry reaches its quota of 319,500 seals.That's why we must raise a public outcry.

Please tell the Canadian government that you do care and that this practice is unacceptable. We must show the Canadian Parliament that the rest of the world will no longer stand for this cruel and senseless hunt!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[250,000 Seals Dead in Just 10 Days of Hunting]]> The second phase of Canada's commercial seal hunt began on April 14 in Newfoundland. Of the over two hundred thousands seals already slaughtered, 95% are under three months old. IFAW monitoring teams just back from the ice report many pups are clubbed and left in agony while hunters move quickly onto the next seal while countless others are shot, but escape and die a slow death under the ice.

The Canadian seal hunt is bigger now than it has been in 50 years. This year alone, the government is allowing the methodical slaughter of 319,500 helpless seals purely in the name of profit. Many more will die that go unaccounted for.

Sealers count on the fact you won't speak out against them. The biggest advantage sealers have in their favor is the lack of awareness by the rest of the world that one of nature's greatest wildlife spectacles is being systematically destroyed by a virtual killing machine.

Please speak out today and tell the Canadian Parliament that the seal hunt is cruel and unacceptable!
More...]]> <![CDATA[Tell US Retailers to Leave Ramin in the Forest]]>
While the orangutan ("person of the forest" in Malay) is a protected species, its habitat is not. And according to experts, the primary threat to the species' survival is habitat destruction. The threat is grave: Today, only an estimated 15,000 - 25,000 orangutans survive in the wild, and experts predict possible extinction for the species by 2011.

To curb this habitat destruction and illegal logging of ramin, the Indonesian government has proposed placing ramin on Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Fauna and Flora Species (CITES) this October, thus strengthening international efforts to stop the trade in illegal ramin products.

Help save the orangutan and its threatened rainforest home! Please sign this petition to ask major retailers who sell ramin products - Sears, Target, Toys "R" Us and Wal-Mart - to take two critical actions:
  1. Ask the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US CITES representative, to support Indonesia's proposal to protect ramin at the CITES meeting starting October 2, 2004.
  2. Stop selling cribs made from ramin wood.
If you or someone you know is shopping for a crib, please look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. This is your guarantee that the wood in your baby's crib comes from sustainably managed forests.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[ Save Endangered Whales from Deadly Fishing Gear]]> The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whales in the world, with only about 300 individuals left of the species. We cannot afford to lose a single whale because of human causes. During 2004, 17 whales, including six North Atlantic right whales, were entangled when they encountered fishing gear in their ocean habitat along the U.S. East Coast.

Solutions exist to protect these whales from being entangled, injured or killed, in fishing gear, but they need to be more aggressively utilized.

In an effort to eliminate potentially deadly entanglements, the National Marine Fisheries Service (the agency responsible for protecting whales) is taking public comments on proposed alternatives to improve the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan-a strategy required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

With three of the species of whale affected by fishing gear listed as endangered, especially the extremely endangered North Atlantic right whale, we cannot afford anything less than a 100 percent effective plan to protect these magnificent animals from fishing gear encountered in their habitat.

Act Now! Ask NMFS to strengthen the protection of whales by requiring modifications to fishing gear proven to prevent whales from becoming entangled.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[ Save Endangered Whales from Deadly Fishing Gear - update]]> Visit The Ocean Conservancy online for more information on right whales.
More...]]> <![CDATA[Tell US Retailers to Leave Ramin in the Forest - update]]> You did it! By signing this petition, Care2 members told retailers and government officials that you wanted to protect the habitat of the endangered orangutan. Thanks to your thousands of messages, ramin trees, which provide habitat for the orangutan, now have greater international protection designed to reduce overexploitation and illegal trade. This remarkable decision was only possible because decision-makers saw a wide show of public support.

However, the fight is not over. Your continued support is needed to urge US retailers to stop selling products, like baby cribs, made out of ramin wood. Click here for more information, and thank you for making a difference!
More...]]> <![CDATA[ Tell Bush: Stop the importation of endangered species!]]> The Bush administration is proposing to allow commercial trade in endangered species for the first time in over thirty years. This radical proposal would dramatically weaken the protections for over 550 foreign species - including jaguars, elephants, and orangutans - now covered by the Endangered Species Act.

The Bush administration's proposal supports the idea of killing species in order to save them, and endorses the importation of endangered animals and body parts to benefit their conservation. But this proposal includes no standards to verify that any of the money spent on importing endangered animals or body parts actually goes to conservation, and is so vague that it practically invites fraud and illegal trade.

The illegal international trade in wildlife and wildlife products is worth billions of dollars annually. And legal trade in wildlife body parts invariably leads to increased illegal trade and poaching, creating a market for previously illegal wildlife. This proposal could lead to a resumption of the ivory trade in Africa; the capture of Asian elephants for U.S. circuses and zoos; and the importation of endangered wild parrots for the U.S. pet industry.

Please stand up for endangered species today! Tell Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and President Bush that you oppose their proposal to allow importation of endangered species.

Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Say NO to Japan's Plan to Kill Humpback Whales]]> media reports indicate that Japan is now seeking to resume commercial whaling of humpbacks, defying international agreements and sanctuaries under the guise of "scientific research."

Using a loophole that allows whales to be killed for scientific study, more than 25,000 whales have been killed since a worldwide ban on commercial whaling was passed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986. Yet it's unnecessary to kill whales in order to study them, since non-lethal alternatives already exist. What's worse, some whales remain alive up to an hour after a harpoon explodes inside them. These cruel methods, first employed over a hundred years ago, are still used today.

At the International Whaling Commission meeting beginning July 20th, the world will vote on Japan's outrageous proposal to hunt humpback whales. Several countries remain undecided and are very sensitive to external opinion. With a little pressure, they can be swayed to protect the whales and stop Japan from slaughtering them.

That's why it's critical we tell the Swiss, Danish, Chinese and South Korean Ambassadors in our countries to oppose Japan's plan to kill endangered humpback whales - before it's too late.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Victory for Whales! International Community Votes]]>
On a strong majority vote, member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) today rejected a proposal put forward by the Government of Japan to resume commercial whale hunting, which has been banned by the IWC since 1986. 29 countries voted against the Japanese proposal, 23 countries voted for it and 5 countries abstained from the vote.

A new Japanese proposal to increase "scientific" whaling also failed to gain majority support from the IWC. A resolution introduced by the Government of Australia, sharply critical of the Japanese proposal, was passed by a vote of 30 to 27 with one abstention by the Pacific Island nation of Solomon Islands. Japan has killed more than 8,000 whales under the guise of science since the commercial whaling ban.

Over 23,000 activists recently expressed their outrage to IWC member nations through ThePetitionSite.com at Japan's proposal to resume commercial whale hunting - and world leaders heard us, loud and clear. We still have work to do to end commercial and so-called "scientific" whaling, but this vote is a decisive victory for whales.

Read more about this victory for whales here!
More...]]> <![CDATA[Protect the Yellowstone Buffalo - America's Last Wild Herd]]> 50 million buffalo once roamed the Great Plains. But at the end of the 19th century, after millions were slaughtered, only 23 wild buffalo remained. These survivors found refuge in Yellowstone National Park, are the ancestors of America's only remaining wild herd.

But after escaping extinction over 100 years ago, the wild buffalo, an icon of the American West, is under attack again.

Facing pressure from the cattle industry, government agencies are spending millions in taxpayer money to kill the numerous wild buffalo that wander outside of Yellowstone National Park onto public grazing lands used by cattle ranchers. These buffalo executions are justified by the excuse that the buffalo present a disease threat to domesticated cattle. This excuse is widely thought to be a thinly veiled justification for keeping buffalo off public grazing lands, which ranchers rely on for profits, by any means necessary - including killing.

Please urge your Representative to support the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act (HR 2428), which proposes more humane, science-based programs to manage Yellowstone buffalo.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Supreme Court Nominee: Environment Stands to Lose]]> Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement means our most basic environmental laws may be in jeopardy.

As a mainstream conservative justice, Justice O'Connor often cast the decisive vote in favor of protecting environmental safeguards enjoyed by all Americans. For this reason, the question of who will fill the vacancy created by her departure holds serious consequences for the future of our environment. Given the President's track record of sending the Senate controversial judicial nominees who are outside the mainstream -- like Janice Rogers Brown and William Myers III -- there is good reason to be concerned.

Earthjustice has led the conservation community's efforts to ensure that those confirmed to lifetime judgeships will fairly uphold and enforce legal safeguards and will not be biased in favor of powerful special interests. We know just how hard we must work to preserve the Supreme Court's vital role in protecting the environment -- and we need your help to make it happen.

Please take action TODAY! Tell your senators to make sure the new Supreme Court justice is not biased against laws that protect our environment!

Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell Bush: Don't Ignore Us! Protect Our Roadless Forests]]>
So what did the Bush administration do? They ignored us. On May 5, the Bush administration announced it was abandoning these critical forest protections and repealing the Roadless Rule.

The American people overwhelmingly support protecting our remaining wild forests. Let's show President Bush who he's ignoring. Join this PhotoChain with your picture - you in a forest or wilderness area, you holding one of our signs or your personal message to President Bush, or just you - and tell our government that they need to stop ignoring us and start listening to the people.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Supreme Court nominee may threaten environmental protections]]> It's official: President Bush has nominated Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

This development dramatically raises the stakes for the environment.

Given his record so far, we have reason for concern. From his seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Roberts was one of only two judges to argue for a review of a decision that upheld the constitutionality of key Endangered Species Act safeguards.

Roberts also demonstrated a callous attitude toward our nation's strong support for protecting threatened and endangered species. As noted today in The New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today, Roberts famously questioned whether Congress has the power to prevent the extinction of what he flippantly called "a hapless toad that, for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California."

The Senate's decision on whether to confirm Roberts's nomination has the potential to threaten basic environmental laws almost immediately. Industry groups already have filed lawsuits raising constitutional and other challenges to a wide range of federal environmental protections. The laws under attack include the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and statutes that protect the health, safety, and rights of working families and consumers. As a Supreme Court Justice, Judge Roberts would have the power to reverse decades of progress in protecting public health and our environment.

We don't want to roll back the progress we have made in protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wild places that are our natural heritage. The public has the right to insist that the highest court in our country be fair, balanced, and independent from powerful special interests.

Read More
More...]]> <![CDATA[North Atlantic Right Whale Given Less Than 100 Years]]>
In the past 16 months, there have been eight recorded right whale deaths - almost three times the average annual rate in 25 years of study of the species - but many more whales of this species are believed to have died during that time period. This new study estimates that only seventeen percent of right whale deaths are detected. According to these new projections right whales are closer to extinction than previously thought. Read more.

Stay informed as The Ocean Conservancy continues to work for the protection of this incredible species.
More...]]> <![CDATA[Tell Congress: Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]]> This is it: the most important vote to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will take place in September - and we need your signature today.

The showdown vote to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- America's greatest wildlife sanctuary -- will occur in both the House and Senate in mid-September. A provision to open the Refuge to drilling is expected to be buried in the massive Budget Reconciliation Bill.

Please sign this petition to your Senators and Representative today to urge a vote against the Budget Reconciliation bill! The stakes for the Arctic Refuge have never been higher.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Save the Great Bear Rainforest]]> The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact, unprotected coastal rainforest in the world. It is also home to one of the world's most mystical creatures--the pure white Spirit Bear.

In an historic effort, corporations and loggers have worked with environmentalists and local communities to create an agreement to protect the habitat of this magnificent creature. It’s called the Great Bear Rainforest Solution: a groundbreaking measure that outlines sustainable logging in British Columbia, Canada--and protects five million acres of rainforest from all logging.

It has taken eight years to craft this vital solution and gather support from a remarkably diverse coalition. But time is running out! The government must act to permanently protect the Great Bear by September 30, 2005--as it has promised!

Please urge Premier Campbell to ensure the survival of the rare white Spirit Bears, wild salmon, and 1,000-year-old cedar of the Great Bear Rainforest by supporting the Great Bear Rainforest Solution.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell Congress: Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - update]]> some in Congress have chosen to exploit this national tragedy to renew their misguided calls for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"Sometimes it takes a crisis to realize we've got to be more dependent on our own resources," Rep. Capito told the Charleston Daily Mail.

Rep. Joe Barton, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was also quick to call for drilling in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, arguing that "We could be drilling in Alaska right now."

But short-sighted expolitation of the Refuge would do nothing to alleviate problems at the pump. Oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wouldn't hit the market for 10 years and even then would provide less than a one-year supply.

What drilling would do is devastate crucial habitat. The Arctic Refuge is such a special place because it is home to countless wildlife -- from the great predators like the polar bear to the Porcupine Herd, one of the largest caribou herds in North America.
More...]]> <![CDATA[Citizen's Petition to Protect Our Roadless Areas]]> Once again, the Bush Administration has launched an attack on America's natural heritage, this time going after our last remaining wild forests. Earlier this year, the Bush administration announced their plans to completely repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects over 60 million acres of unspoiled forests from oil drilling, mining, road building and other destructive development.

Woman and Companion in the Rock Gorge Roadless Area, Sumter National Forest, South Carolina.
Photographer: Butch Clay.
Americans overwhelmingly support the protection of our wild forests. We need your help to send a strong message to the Administration that we will not be ignored! Please sign The Wilderness Society's Citizen's Petition to Protect Our Roadless Areas today!

Places like Tongass National Forest in Alaska, Colorado's San Juan National Forest, and the Tahoe National Forest in California are all at risk because of this reckless policy.

Don't let the Bush Administration auction off our wild forests to the highest bidder! Our wild forests can't wait - sign the Citizen's Petition now.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[URGENT: Endangered Species Act Under Attack - Call Your Representative Today!]]> The U.S. House of Representatives is slated to vote Thursday, September 29, on legislation (H.R. 3824) sponsored by Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA) that would gut the Endangered Species Act. Rep. Pombo's bill virtually eliminates the Act's habitat protection requirements, cuts wildlife experts out of the loop on key decisions, weakens the role of science, and makes it easier for greedy developers to dodge the Act's protections.

Your Representative needs to hear from you now - click here to visit www.house.gov, and enter your zip code to find your Representative's phone number. Or, call the House of Representatives switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected directly to your Rep. Urge your Rep. to vote NO on the misleadingly titled "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005" (H.R. 3824). THANK YOU!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[New assault on Arctic Refuge has begun]]> The House Resources committee voted on a new energy bill yesterday that authorizes oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge and opening our coastlines to offshore oil drilling.

This bill will now go to the House floor, and we're going to need all the help we can get to protect the Arctic Refuge from the devastation of oil drilling.

Congress is using every legislative vehicle it can to advance their unpopular energy policy initiatives by exploiting the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. But there is no compelling reason to drill in the Arctic Refuge other than oil industry greed. Geologists estimate that only a few months' supply of oil lies beneath the Refuge and it will take ten years before any reaches the market. But in the meantime, the effects of drilling on wildlife, including polar bears, caribou, and wolves, could be deadly.

We're now fighting a two-front war on the Refuge - the Budget Reconciliation Bill, which will be voted on next month, and Rep. Pombo's new energy bill. Last spring, the House passed their version of the budget bill by only three votes, and the Senate by only five. Big Oil, Vice President Dick Cheney, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, and Interior Secretary Gale Norton are pulling out all stops to again prevail.

Defenders of Wildlife has been working tirelessly to flood Congress with phone calls from citizens opposing drilling; run educational ads in Congressional swing states; and organize thousands of activists for last week's successful Arctic Refuge Action Day in coalition with other groups.

Help us stop this assault on Arctic wildlife: please make an emergency tax-deductible donation today to Defenders of Wildlife to protect the Arctic Refuge from toxic oil drilling.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stop the National Park Give-Away!]]> In an outrageous proposal for the House draft budget reconciliation bill, Rep. Richard Pombo (R-11-CA), Chairman of the House Resources Committee (the most influential House committee on public lands issues), has outlined a plan that includes: selling 15 national parks off to oil and gas industries and private developers; turning park vehicles and facilities into billboards for commercial advertising; and selling commercial naming rights for park buildings.

These 15 parks represent 23 percent of the total National Park System acreage - which is already only 2 percent of U.S. public lands.

Congress and the administration have a responsibility to protect our national heritage. Instead, Congressman Pombo seems prepared to put our American heritage on the auction block, insulting the American people and tarnishing the birthright of current and future generations.

Sign this petition today to urge your Representative to oppose Rep. Pombo's National Park give-away!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[ Protect Our Oceans from Overfishing]]> Now the cod are nearly gone, and a centuries-old fishing tradition is ending because of overfishing.

Unfortunately, this story is not unique. A quarter of commercial fish species in U.S. waters are overfished or in danger of being overfished. Populations of popular seafood - tuna, cod, skate and grouper - are much smaller than they were decades ago. Ninety percent of large ocean predators - sharks, rays, swordfish and marlin - have been fished out of existence. Report after report has come out saying the same thing: our oceans are in crisis and the time to act is now.

Yet, the Bush administration, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), proposes to weaken the standards that protect fisheries from overfishing. Once again, the administration is choosing short-term profits over long-term sustainability, jeopardizing our marine ecosystems and a way of life.

Take action! Tell NOAA to maintain their current overfishing protection standard, and to oppose any attempts to weaken our ocean protections.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Boycott ExxonMobil!]]> killed hundreds of thousands of seals, otters, birds, fish and whales -- despite raking in a historic $25 billion profit in 2005.

It's time to hold ExxonMobil responsible for putting corporate profits over protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat. Join Defenders of Wildlife and other leading conservation groups in boycotting ExxonMobil. Sign our petition to let ExxonMobil know that you WILL NOT BUY ExxonMobil gasoline unless -- and until -- ExxonMobil takes meaningful action to curb global warming, to invest in renewable energy, and to pay for the damages done by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell Gale Norton to Do Her Job and Protect Wolves!]]> too many of her actions have further threatened America's wolves.

Last year, a federal court overturned Secretary Norton's attempts to reduce wolf protections in the lower 48 states. But just weeks ago, Secretary Norton transferred responsibility for wolf management in central Idaho from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over to the state of Idaho - a state that, in 2001, passed a memorandum calling for the eradication of wolves in Idaho "by any means necessary."

And for the past three years, Secretary Norton has pointedly refused to implement and enforce federal law to stop Alaska's barbaric practice of using airplanes to chase down and kill wolves.

Sign the petition below to stand up for America's wolves and urge Secretary Norton to do her job to protect and recover the gray wolf.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Victory in the Great Bear Rainforest!]]> It's taken almost ten years of pressure, negotiation, tremendous effort and lots of help from you, but it's finally official: the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement has been approved by the government of British Columbia!

The total area protected from the chainsaw equals 5 million acres, twice the size of Yellowstone Park and equal to 6300 of New York’s Central Park. This total includes new and previous protection areas, plus special no logging zones.

ForestEthics, Greenpeace and Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter have worked toward this solution for almost a decade, using tactics that ranged from blockades to boycotts to boardroom negotiations, all in a bid to protect as much of the Great Bear Rainforest as possible.

This agreement represents hundreds of thousands of hours of dirt-under-the-fingernails work by one of the most unexpected alliances in Canadian history. It included a blue-ribbon science panel supported by governments, environmental groups and logging companies that developed specific recommendations to change logging practices.
More...]]> <![CDATA[Don't Downlist the Florida Manatee]]> The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is recommending that manatees be downlisted from endangered to threatened status on the state level.

Last year was the second highest manatee mortality year on record. Just in the last five years, 1682 manatees have died in Florida waters and of those, 398 were killed by boats. That is almost an 18% increase over the previous five-year period. Furthermore, state scientists estimate the manatee population could drop by half in the next 50 years because of habitat loss, red tide poisoning and boat collisions. The population is far from stable.

Manatees are poised to be downlisted regardless of how they are faring in the wild because of a calculated effort by special interest groups opposed to boat speed zones and restrictions on development.

Later this summer, the FFWCC will vote on this issue. If the commission approves, restrictions that have kept in check boat speeds, seawalls, docks and waterfront home-building could be diluted or eliminated. Urge Governor Bush to take a stand and keep protections for the manatee in place!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell ExxonMobil: Protect Polar Bears, Not Profits!]]> ExxonMobil is swimming in cash...while polar bears are drowning in the Arctic.

ExxonMobil raked in over $35 billion in profits in 2005, and another $8.4 billion in the first quarter of 2006. But where are Exxon's priorities?
  • ExxonMobil has given its former CEO Lee Raymond a retirement package worth almost $400 million. Yet, it still refuses to pay punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill that killed birds, fish, sea otters and other wildlife – some of which have yet to recover.
  • ExxonMobil is the sole major oil company to remain in Arctic Power, the lobbying group whose only purpose is to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to toxic oil drilling. The Arctic Refuge is home to caribou, millions of migratory birds, and other wildlife. It is also one of the most important onshore denning habitats for America's remaining polar bears.
  • In the past five years, ExxonMobil has spent nearly $37 million on lobbyists and millions more in campaign contributions to relentlessly push its anti-wildlife agenda and fight efforts to curb global warming – the same warming that's melting sea ice and leaving walrus calves and polar bears to starve and drown.
Tell ExxonMobil's CEO to stop pushing for oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge; to withdraw its support of the pro-drilling Arctic Power lobbying firm; and to start investing in renewable energy for the future. Let ExxonMobil know that until they mend their anti-wildlife ways, you will be boycotting their gasoline!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stop Whaling Now!]]> Whales are still in danger. Since a global ban on whaling in 1985, Japan has continued to kill whales in the name of "scientific research." Yet legitimate scientists agree: there's no need to kill whales in order to study them when non-lethal methods already exist.

In fact, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has clearly stated it does not need the data obtained from killing whales: passing resolutions critical of Japan's research whaling program forty-one times!

 Yet Japanese whalers continue to kill whales in horribly cruel fashion, harpooning them with explosive tips and then dragging them onto whale ships. Japan actually sells the meat from this "research" to restaurants. And now Japan is increasing the slaughter: doubling the number of whales killed in an international marine mammal sanctuary.

Unless they are stopped now, Japan will launch a return to full-scale industrial whaling; the last of which once drove whales to the brink of extinction. Only the tremendous resources and clout of the United States has a chance to stop Japan from destroying the world's whales.

Please sign the petition asking President Bush to oppose Japan's bid for permanent membership into the United Nations Security Council until they comply with international laws protecting whales.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Laura Bush, Please Protect Mother Polar Bears!]]> President Bush continues to push for harmful drilling in one of the places most important to denning polar bears - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Studies show that the noise from oil exploration and drilling can disturb and frighten denning mother polar bears, causing mother bears to abandon their dens and leaving their cubs to die.


White House photo by Tina Hager
According to a recent study, global warming could push polar bears to extinction within 25 years. Ironically, oil from the Arctic Refuge would not even begin to affect the price of a gallon of gasoline for at least 20 years after the Refuge is first drilled. Even then, it would lower gas prices by only about a penny per gallon.

Making sure our polar bears are around for our children is worth more than a penny a gallon.

President Bush may not listen to the American public's opposition to drilling, but maybe he'll listen to his wife. As an educator and a mother, Laura Bush should understand the devastating impact of oil drilling on polar bear mothers and their cubs.

This Mother's Day, ask Laura Bush to help mother polar bears by convincing her husband to leave the Arctic Refuge wild and free of oil drilling!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Keep Tuna Safe For Families and For Dolphins]]> Tell the FDA and EPA to to improve mercury testing so we can keep tuna safe for our families and for dolphins. With more scrutiny over tuna sold to families in the U.S., we can better protect dolphins from harassment and death through commercial fishing practices, and children from brain damage caused by mercury exposure.

More than half of the tuna consumed by American families comes from non-U.S. producers. But some of these producers -- particularly in Ecuador and Mexico -- use practices that can hurt or kill dolphins and catch tuna with increased mercury levels.

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, large, mature yellowfin tuna often swim with pods of dolphins -- a relationship that's exploited by some commercial fishers using purse-seine nets that ensnare tuna and dolphins alike. Since the late 1950s, approximately seven million dolphins have died from this practice.

The practice poses an obvious risk to dolphins, but the large tuna that swim with dolphins often contain the highest levels of mercury. So this practice not only harms dolphins, it also poses a risk to people who are unlucky enough to eat tuna caught in such a manner.

Send a message to the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration to improve mercury testing so we can keep tuna safe for our families and for dolphins.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Save the Polar Bears! Help Stop Global Warming]]> Take Action]]> <![CDATA[ Protect Our Oceans from Overfishing - success]]> Congress just passed a bill protecting our oceans from rampant overfishing. With this bill, commercial fishing operations will have to follow strict limits on the amount of fish they can catch. Equally important, if a fish population becomes depleted, fishermen will be required to give that population a break until it can recover to healthy levels.

Over the last three months Care2 activists sent thousands of letters to their US Representatives and Senators urging them to strengthen the law governing ocean fishing in US waters, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Thanks to this powerful effort, Congress listened and did just that. Now there is hope that our ocean fish and ecosystems can recover from decades of misuse.
More...]]> <![CDATA[Urge Congress to Help Save Great Cats and Rare Canids!]]> Around the world, our great carnivore populations are declining dramatically – and they need our help.

Conservation-minded members of Congress have just reintroduced legislation to help protect great cats and canids around the world. The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007 would assist in the conservation of rare cat and canine populations outside the United States. This legislation covers 13 species of felids and canids, from the endangered Snow Leopard of Central Asia to the critically endangered Ethiopian Wolf.

This legislation is modeled after the highly successful Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF), which provide critical funding for species such as tigers, elephants, and rhinos. The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act would create an additional fund to augment the MSCF, thus expanding the United States' global conservation work to include conservation of imperiled cats and canids.

Sign this petition to ask your senators and representative to support the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell Bush/Cheney Administration: Stop Offshore Oil Drilling!]]> Officials in the Bush/Cheney Interior Department intend to allow harmful new drilling in tens of millions of environmentally sensitive acres off the coast of Alaska, including an area closed to drilling after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Federal officials have also proposed new drilling leases off the coasts of Florida and Virginia.

These areas are teeming with wildlife, including imperiled whales, sea otters and sea turtles. New drilling could destroy these important coastal ecosystems and the wildlife and tourist economies that depend on them.

We need thousands of concerned conservationists to demand that the administration rescind this destructive proposal immediately. Sign this petition today to urge Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne to stop trying to hand over our coasts to Big Oil!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Deadline Friday to Save the Florida Panther!]]> fewer than 100 Florida panthers left in the wild, and many of them live in Big Cypress National Preserve. Yet the National Park Service is now considering opening up a part of Big Cypress to off-road vehicles (ORVs)!

Big Cypress is the most biologically diverse region of the terrestrial Everglades. Excessive ORV use has already destroyed large sections of Big Cypress's sensitive wetlands. Opening more of Big Cypress to ORV use would put undue stress on the Florida panthers and other endangered wildlife that already struggle for survival there.

You can help play an important role in ensuring that the National Park Service protects the home of some of the world's last remaining Florida panthers. Please sign our petition now and tell the National Park Service that Big Cypress National Preserve -- and the Florida panthers and other endangered wildlife that live there -- need to be protected from damaging off-road vehicle use.

The deadline for comments is this Friday, June 15th - please sign today!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Urge Congress to Permanently Protect the Arctic Refuge!]]> It is also the most important onshore denning habitat for America's vanishing polar bears.

But this natural treasure is constantly under siege. Time and time again, the oil industry and their allies in Congress have sought to open this special place to harmful new drilling, threatening all of the wildlife that depend on it for survival.

We need to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge! Urge your Representative to support the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 39) to permanently protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stop the Latest Assault on Wolves]]> The Bush/Cheney Administration has announced two proposals to jumpstart the killing of hundreds of wolves in the Yellowstone area and elsewhere in the Northern Rockies.

Officials in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are now seeking public comment on the agency's proposal to accept Wyoming's disastrous wolf management plan and to give Idaho and Wyoming vast new powers to kill wolves -- even while these magnificent animals remain listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The deadline for comments on these two flawed proposals is Monday, August 6th. Please sign our petition to send your message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service right now!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Urge Congress to End Aerial Gunning of Wolves!]]> Aerial gunners in Alaska have killed more than 600 wolves since 2003. Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin wants to offer $150 bounties to encourage hunters to kill more wolves. Even worse, Idaho and Wyoming have proposed aerial gunning programs of their own, meaning that soon the wolves of Yellowstone could be gunned down from airplanes if they leave the safety of the park.

It's time to end this brutal practice. Representative George Miller (D-CA) will be introducing legislation in September to do just that – his legislation would close a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act to prohibit aerial gunning.

We want to encourage all members of Congress to support this critical legislation. Sign our petition today to urge your representative to become an original co-sponsor of Rep. Miller's bill to end aerial gunning!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Good News for Whales: Thank Iceland for Doing the Right Thing!]]> Iceland has just ended its commercial whale hunt, citing a lack of market for selling whale meat.

Iceland's decision is a huge win for whales. But the government has left open the possibility of resuming the hunt if the market for whale meat improves or if Iceland receives permission to export whale meat to Japan.

While the government's decision was based on economics, not conservation, it is important for those of us in the conservation community to applaud Iceland's decision and encourage the government to end all whale hunting for good. Iceland continues to support a "scientific" hunt for minke whales, but there is no scientific reason to hunt whales.

Sign our petition to thank Iceland for calling off the commercial whale hunt, and encourage Iceland's government to stop hunting whales once and for all.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Protect Polar Bears from Extinction!]]> In as few as 50 years, America's polar bears could be gone.

Photo credit: D. Crosbie, Canadian Ice Service New research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicts dramatic declines in polar bear populations as global warming melts the Arctic sea ice these bears depend on for survival. It has never been so urgent to reduce global warming emissions and protect polar bears from extinction.

In light of these findings, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened a brief, two week comment period on its January 2007 proposal to list polar bears as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

No more delays or excuses - it's time to protect polar bears and their melting homes. Sign our petition to submit your official public comment urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect polar bears from extinction!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Help Wildlife Adapt to Global Warming]]> Polar bears are starving and drowning as sea ice melts around them. Hawaiian monk seal pups are dying as their beaches disappear under rising seas. And penguin populations are declining as their world literally breaks up under their not-so-happy feet.

Unless we address the impacts of global warming, America's wildlife are in trouble. Fortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed forward-looking energy legislation (H.R. 3221) that would take the important first steps needed to protect polar bears, monk seals and other wildlife from the harmful effects of global warming.

Send a message to your Senators today and urge them to support the Global Warming Survival Act!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Tell Alaska's Governor: Stop Aerial Gunning!]]> Over the past four years, Alaska's aerial hunting program has claimed the lives of nearly 700 hundred wolves. State-permitted aerial hunters and pilots are preparing to take to the skies again, and we need your help to stop them.

Sign our petition to send a message to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin urging her to end the state's unfounded aerial hunting program immediately.

Too many wolves have died needless deaths – this brutal practice has to stop. Help shine a spotlight on Alaska's inhumane aerial gunning program. Watch the video, sign our petition and send an email to your friends to spread the word.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stop Illegal Logging Worldwide]]> Incredibly, America has no law against importing illegally harvested wood into the U.S. Yet the insatiable demand for cheap wood products and luxury hardwoods in the United States, Europe and Japan drives illegal logging operations worldwide -- logging that destroys vital habitat for endangered orangutans, tigers, and other wildlife.

Take action now to save orangutans and other wildlife threatened by illegal logging. Urge your Senators to support the Combat Illegal Logging Act of 2007 (S.1930), legislation that would make it a crime in America to knowingly import, sell, buy or transport illegally-sourced wood and wood products.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Protect Our Wildlife - Jumpstart a Clean Energy Future!]]> Take Action]]> <![CDATA[End Alaska's Aerial Wolf Hunt]]> Alaska is truly our nation's last frontier. It is also the last place in the U.S. where a few hunters still use aircraft to chase and kill wolves. They shoot these animals from the air or chase them to exhaustion before landing and shooting them point blank.

Thirty five years ago, Congress passed a law to put an end to aerial hunting. But Alaska is exploiting a loophole in federal law to resume the practice, not only for wolves, but bears as well. Hundreds of scientists have condemned what Alaska is doing, even as other states threaten to follow Alaska's lead. It's time to stop aerial hunting once and for all.

Rep. George Miller (CA) has introduced the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act, legislation to close a federal loophole and curb Alaska's brutal aerial hunting program -- and prevent programs like it from spreading to places like the Greater Yellowstone region.

Please urge your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor to Rep. George Miller's PAW Act.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Permanently Protect the Arctic Refuge!]]> It is also the most important onshore denning habitat for America's vanishing polar bears.

But this natural treasure is constantly under siege. Time and time again, the oil industry and their allies in Congress have sought to open this special place to harmful new drilling, threatening all of the wildlife that depend on it for survival.

We need to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge! Urge your Representative to support the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 39) to permanently protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Bush Admin Allows Yellowstone Area Wolf Slaughter - Act Now!]]> It's happened. The Fish & Wildlife Service has made it easier to kill wolves in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region -- even while they remain protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Take action now. Tell Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne that this rule change is unacceptable.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[President Bush: Farewell, and Clean Up Your Mess!]]> Our wildlife and the habitat they depend on deserve leaders who are good stewards of the land, not beholden to corporate interests. But President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and their anti-wildlife cronies such as Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne have made a mess – and a mockery – of our environmental regulations and wildlife protections.

Over the past seven years, the Bush/Cheney Administration has worked to:
  • Block meaningful efforts to address climate change now threatening polar bears, penguins and other wildlife.
  • Eliminate vital protections for endangered wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
  • Roll back protections for millions of acres of roadless areas in our National Forests, paving the way for the destruction of habitat that wolves, grizzly bears and countless other species need to survive.
  • Expand destructive oil and gas drilling off our coasts and in sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, threatening polar bears, sea otters and other wildlife.

And that's only a partial list!

With less than a year to go, President Bush and his administration should take this opportunity to clean up the mess they have made by supporting comprehensive legislation to address climate change, immediately listing imperiled species such as polar bears and right whales under the Endangered Species Act, and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife and our roadless National Forests.

Send President Bush a farewell message and urge him to spend his last few months in office correcting the damage done by his administration.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Protect Sea Turtles From Harmful Fishing Practices]]> The population of critically endangered leatherback sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean has plummeted over 90% in the past few decades, primarily due to sea turtles drowning in industrial longline and gillnet fisheries.

Recently, several prominent conservation organizations petitioned the government to designate the waters off the coast of California and Oregon as critical habitat for leatherbacks under the Endangered Species Act.

We have until February 26th to submit official comments in support of this critical habitat designation. This designation would be a vital first step in protecting these ancient giants from the dangerous fishing practices that threaten to drive them to extinction.

Let the National Marine Fisheries Service know you support designating critical habitat for endangered leatherback sea turtles!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Wolves Delisted: Protest Now!]]>
This decision leaves the region's wolves at the mercy of outrageous state management plans that could lead to the killing of all but 300 wolves – eliminating 80% of all the wild wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

We need to let the Bush/Cheney administration know that we strongly oppose this decision to remove Greater Yellowstone wolves from the list of federally protected threatened and endangered species.

Please sign our petition of protest and demand that the administration reverse its misguided decision and continue protecting Greater Yellowstone wolves under the Endangered Species Act.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Oppose South Africa's Plan to Kill Elephants]]> South Africa has announced it will reverse its 1995 ban on killing elephants and resume culling of elephants in May. Elephant family groups could be rounded up by helicopters and shot from the air by marksmen.

Culling has been reinstated due to fears of elephant overpopulation in protected areas and the habitat destruction that too many elephants can cause. But this plan disregards the fact that elephants are extremely intelligent, social creatures with strong family bonds. It is well known that elephants mourn their dead, and killing large numbers of these sensitive creatures is cruel and unethical.

Please urge the South African government to continue exploring non-lethal options for dealing with growing elephant populations.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Save Yellowstone's Bison: Stop the Killing]]> Yellowstone National Park is home to America's last free-roaming buffalo herd, a reminder of the great American West. Yet these buffalo are needlessly killed when they leave the borders of the park by state officials who fear the animals will spread brucellosis to cattle, even though there has never been a single case of a buffalo in the wild spreading the disease to cattle. More than 3,000 of these buffalo have been killed in the past 15 years.

Even worse, our government is spending taxpayer money to kill bison that migrate out of Yellowstone to the Horse Butte Peninsula - in the name of protecting cattle – even though there are no longer any cattle grazing on the peninsula.

Local landowners and conservation groups are urging the federal government to stop killing bison immediately on the Horse Butte Peninsula and to undertake a new environmental impact study to update the current bison management plan. Please urge the Department of the Interior to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's bison now!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Support a National Wolf Recovery Plan]]> In the wake of the federal delisting of wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, Defenders of Wildlife and our allies have filed a formal petition with the Fish and Wildlife Service calling for a national wolf recovery plan.

Such a plan would help ensure a lasting future for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies and provide a needed boost for wolf recovery and management efforts in the Southwest, Northeast and Pacific Northwest.

Help support this forward-looking effort to protect the gray wolf's important part in America. Sign our petition to send your personalized comments to Dale Hall, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Iceland Could Resume Whaling - Please Act]]> After announcing six months ago that it would stop hunting whales due to lack of market for whale meat, Iceland has now confirmed it is "likely" to resume whaling this summer.

Iceland's whaling industry is pushing for permits to kill 100 minke whales as well as some fin whales, which are an endangered species.

Iceland's Minister of Fisheries will make a final decision soon and whaling could begin in May. Please sign our petition today and urge Iceland to stop whaling forever!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[We Need Real Conservation Leadership]]> In his two years on the job of protecting America's wildlife and wildlands, Interior Secretary Kempthorne hasn't listed a single new species under the Endangered Species Act - even though federal biologists warn that at least 280 native species could disappear forever without such protections.

In fact, under Secretary Kempthorne, the Department of the Interior has:

  • repeatedly delayed protections for polar bears - which could disappear from America in 50 years if we continue to do nothing to save them,
  • removed vital federal protections for gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone,
  • and denied critical protections for jaguars, wolverines, and other imperiled wildlife.

It is Congress's job to hold the Secretary accountable when he fails to do his job. Please send a message now to urge your U.S. Representative to call for Congressional hearings on Secretary Kempthorne's failure to protect America's wildlife.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[List the Red Knot Under the Endangered Species Act]]> The red knot sandpiper is in danger of extinction. A new report by the world's leading shorebird biologists confirms a 90 percent decline in the bird's population over the past ten years, leading scientists to predict that the red knot may become extinct as soon as 2010.

The red knot can fly extraordinary distances. On a wingspan of 20 inches, red knots can fly over 9,300 miles from the Arctic Circle to as far as Tierra del Fuego, South America, making this bird one of the longest-distance migrants in the animal kingdom.

Historically, more than 100,000 red knots stopped at Delaware Bay – one of the most important migratory bird stopovers in the world -- to feast on horseshoe crab eggs each spring, to help power the final leg of their long flight. But because of a overharvest of horseshoe crabs over the past 15 years, supplies of horseshoe crab eggs have greatly diminished as have knot and other shorebird populations that also feed on horseshoe crab eggs.

Because of the red knot's highly precarious situation, it needs immediate protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Please send your message today calling for an emergency listing of the Red Knot sandpiper under the Endangered Species Act!


Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stop Sea Lion Killing Plan]]> The National Marine Fisheries Service recently authorized the killing of up to 85 federally protected sea lions this year at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon.

Federal and state officials claim they have to kill sea lions to protect endangered salmon. But sea lions are not the main threat to endangered salmon on the Columbia river - dams, habitat loss and humans are.

Consider the facts:
  • Sea lions kill between 0.4% and 4.2% of salmon and steelhead returning to the Columbia River each year;
  • Federal dams on the Snake River kill over 15% of returning steelhead and salmon adults each year;
  • Oregon and Washington states, which requested permission to kill sea lions, proposed increasing fishing quotas from 9% to 12% of the 2008 salmon run.
A federal judge is set to rule on this plan on May 8th, and until then no sea lions may be killed. Yet six federally protected sea lions were just found shot to death on the Columbia River at Bonneville Dam. Make sure no more sea lions die - tell NMFS to abandon its plan to allow killing of sea lions on the Columbia River!

Learn more from the Humane Society of the United States, Wild Fish Conservancy and Save Our Wild Salmon.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Ban Deadly Pesticides that Kill Wildlife]]> Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide are deadly poisons that are currently used to kill predators. These poisons are indiscriminate, cause extreme suffering before death, and threaten endangered species, pets, children, and anyone who happens to come in contact with them.

Compound 1080 is one of the most deadly poisons in the world. It is highly toxic in small doses and is deadly to humans, wildlife and pets, and there is no known antidote. The EPA banned compound 1080 in 1972, but intense lobbying by the livestock industry led to its re-approval for use in predator control programs in 1985.

It's time for our government to approach wildlife management in a humane and intelligent way. There is no need to use deadly poisons to "control" predators. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has introduced legislation to ban these toxic chemicals - please urge your representative in Congress to support H.B. 4775, the Compound 1080 and M-44 Elimination Act, today!
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Polar Bears Need REAL Help, Not Empty Listing]]> The Bush/Cheney Administration has just listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), after four months of delays. Unfortunately, it could be an empty gesture, lacking in any meaningful protections for polar bears.

With this listing, the administration has failed to:

  • designate critical habitat for polar bears;
  • stop destructive oil drilling in prime polar bear habitat;
  • require specific steps to be taken to address global warming and its disastrous effect on Arctic sea ice and polar bears' survival.

In fact, Interior Secretary Kempthorne made clear that the listing should not be used to address global warming or habitat loss -- the two main factors contributing to the decline of polar bears in the U.S.

This week's listing is already coming at the eleventh hour for polar bears -- these majestic bears can't wait for another administration. Demand REAL protections with a meaningful ESA listing for America's polar bears! (Learn more about this listing.)
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Save Wildlife from Global Warming: Support the Climate Security Act]]> But we must act now.... Scientists say that 20 to 30 percent of all species could be put on a path toward extinction if global warming continues unchecked!

Sign the petition urging your senators to support strong global warming legislation.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Don't Let Global Warming Take Arctic Animals Out of the Cold!]]> Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Boreal Birds Need Your Help]]> Canada's boreal forest provides vital breeding habitat for many of the world's birds -- including nearly 40% of North America's ducks, geese, and swans. In fact, each year, more than 300 species of birds, including bufflehead ducks, boreal chickadees, Cape May warblers, sparrows and more, spend time in this special place.

But oil and gas drilling, mining, logging and other industries are rapidly eating up the boreal forest's vital habitat for birds and other wildlife. And with just 8% of the boreal forest now protected, more of this special place is being lost each year in the pursuit of profits.

Add your voice to the call for more responsible management of this natural treasure. Send your message calling on the Canadian government to protect the boreal forest.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[Stand Strong Against Polar Bear Hunting]]> Hunting polar bears is illegal in the United States. The recent decision to list the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act closed a gaping loophole in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that had allowed wealthy U.S. trophy hunters to kill polar bears in Canada, where such hunting is legal, and import polar bear trophies into the U.S.

But now Safari Club International, a big game trophy hunters' club, is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse this ban on importing polar bear trophies. More than 900 polar bear heads and hides had been imported into the U.S since 1994 because of the MMPA loophole.

We have to do everything we can to prevent the polar bear's downward spiral. We need the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stand strong on polar bear trophy hunting - urge Director Dale Hall to uphold the ban on importing polar bear hunting trophies from Canada.
Take Action]]> <![CDATA[BLM: Don't Kill Our Wild Horses]]> The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced plans to kill America's wild horses rather than effectively manage our wild natural heritage.

BLM claims it can no longer afford to round up wild horses and confine them until it finds people to adopt them, and the agency wants to euthanize these majestic wild beauties or sell them to the highest bidder "without limitation" - meaning sell them to anyone, even if the bidder also plans to kill these horses.

Why does BLM need to round up wild horses and send them to slaughter? The BLM claims that the agency can't "allow horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental disaster." But there are less than 30,000 wild horses on the range versus at least 3 million grazing cows. So rather than address the environmental damage caused by cattle overgrazing and expanding oil and gas exploration on our public lands, the BLM would rather placate corporate cattle ranchers who view mustangs as competition for forage, and drive wild horses - our country's symbol of freedom and independent spirit - to extinction.

This plan is simply outrageous. Stand up for our wild horses and send a comment to BLM today. Urge our government to abide by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971 and effectively manage the land to preserve wild horses rather than kill them!
Take Action]]>