We are honored to join a grassroots effort to save endangered animals from extinction. Hundreds of volunteers have each committed to gathering 1,000 petition signatures so that Oregon’s ballot in November, 2016 will include the “Wildlife Trafficking Prevention Act”. When Oregon voters approve this measure, we will be effectively shutting down illegal animal trade on the west coast of the United States, since Washington and California have already enacted similar measures.
The measure will prohibit trafficking of ivory and rhino horns in Oregon as well as banning trade involving ten other endangered species. The list includes: elephant, rhinoceros, whale, tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, pangolin, sea turtle, sharks and ray. These animals are at risk of extinction at human hands. Poacher motivations include financing of terrorist activities, marketing fabled but falsely claimed aphrodisiac and medicinal properties and selling animal parts that are contrived to be “delicacies.”
Consider the beautiful pangolin of Africa and Asia, known as the scaled anteater. Though harmless to humans and a helpful member of nature’s balance, its keratin scales are sought for use to cure cancer and asthma. Sadly for the pangolin, keratin has no medicinal qualities to cure our ailments. If it did, we should be using our own finger nail trimmings for the source, for they are composed of keratin, too. The pangolin’s solitary defense against predators is to roll up into an armored ball. This sublime method for self-preservation has worked with charm-like efficiency against marauding lions through the ages. Yet it is only an impotent ploy against a human’s knife or gun.
The elephant's plight is particularly alarming. Here in Portland, we’ve had a small herd living in our zoo for 50-years, and we have grown to believe they belong in the wild, too. Well, in Africa, rebels and terrorists murder entire elephant families and use the cruel, ill-gotten wealth to buy weapons to advance their rapacious plans. The poor, dear pachyderms are going extinct and their passing sadly enables some of the wickedest man-on-man inhumanity that we have ever known. Though elephants thrive in matriarchal families and can communicate over vast distances using low-frequency sounds, humans cannot hear them. Please hear them now.
None of our planet’s endangered species stands a snowball’s chance against us. Our greed and innovative predation spell doom, and the only safety for our silent animal friends lies in our ballot booths and on corners where you can help by signing petitions that will bring that crucial vote into reality.
Please visit our website[1], consider volunteering with us and keep your eyes open for the smiling petitioners that need your signature to help meet that lofty goal of one-thousand!
Image: Pangolin by Valerius Tygart (licensed in the creative commons)
[1] See: http://www.saveanimalsoregon.com/ Join us to save animals! On Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/saveanimalsor