Jayrod
08-15-2003, 12:52 AM
These days when all you hear about are the steady advances that the anti-hunting guys are making in their push to eliminate sport hunting altogether this article comes as a breath of fresh air...
Sportsmen Win Landmark Decision Protecting Hunting in Federal Court- (08/07)
A federal court judge’s ruling has established the legal precedent that wildlife professionals, not the courts, should be responsible to make wildlife management decisions.
On July 31, Judge Gladys Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) on a case brought by anti-hunters that challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to issue trophy importation permits for argali sheep. Argali are Asian wild sheep pursued by big game hunters.
“While this case dealt specifically with Argali sheep, which are hunted in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the decision sets legal precedent for species in the United States from whitetails to walleyes,” said Rob Sexton, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s vice president for government affairs. “The ruling means that wildlife professionals will maintain the authority to manage wildlife and will not have their hands tied by anti-hunters who want to end the sport by issuing legal challenges.”
The U.S. District Court ruled that the anti’s did not have standing, which means they failed to substantiate their claim that a ruling in their favor would have any impact on argali sheep populations or sheep hunting.
The lawsuit began over two years ago when anti-hunting groups attempted to create an outright ban on all argali imports to the United States. The anti’s argued that sustainable populations of sheep could not be maintained if Americans were permitted to continue hunting, and that the involved governments did not complete certain certifications regarding the argali population.
In her ruling, however, Judge Kessler said that when imports of sheep from these countries were banned, poaching increased because revenues from U.S. hunters, used in part for conservation efforts, substantially decreased. In other words, when U.S. citizens were stopped from hunting, the sheep population was threatened.
“This decision confirms what is true both in the United States and in countries around the world,” said Sexton. “Where hunting takes place, wildlife thrives because sportsmen shoulder the financial burden of conservation efforts.”
The SLDF was joined in its successful motion to intervene on behalf of defendants by Safari Club International. The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and the Conservation Force were also involved in the case.
Sportsmen Win Landmark Decision Protecting Hunting in Federal Court- (08/07)
A federal court judge’s ruling has established the legal precedent that wildlife professionals, not the courts, should be responsible to make wildlife management decisions.
On July 31, Judge Gladys Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) on a case brought by anti-hunters that challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to issue trophy importation permits for argali sheep. Argali are Asian wild sheep pursued by big game hunters.
“While this case dealt specifically with Argali sheep, which are hunted in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the decision sets legal precedent for species in the United States from whitetails to walleyes,” said Rob Sexton, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s vice president for government affairs. “The ruling means that wildlife professionals will maintain the authority to manage wildlife and will not have their hands tied by anti-hunters who want to end the sport by issuing legal challenges.”
The U.S. District Court ruled that the anti’s did not have standing, which means they failed to substantiate their claim that a ruling in their favor would have any impact on argali sheep populations or sheep hunting.
The lawsuit began over two years ago when anti-hunting groups attempted to create an outright ban on all argali imports to the United States. The anti’s argued that sustainable populations of sheep could not be maintained if Americans were permitted to continue hunting, and that the involved governments did not complete certain certifications regarding the argali population.
In her ruling, however, Judge Kessler said that when imports of sheep from these countries were banned, poaching increased because revenues from U.S. hunters, used in part for conservation efforts, substantially decreased. In other words, when U.S. citizens were stopped from hunting, the sheep population was threatened.
“This decision confirms what is true both in the United States and in countries around the world,” said Sexton. “Where hunting takes place, wildlife thrives because sportsmen shoulder the financial burden of conservation efforts.”
The SLDF was joined in its successful motion to intervene on behalf of defendants by Safari Club International. The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and the Conservation Force were also involved in the case.