Exotic Wildlife Association Fights to Save Exotics at the Dallas Safari Club
KERRVILLE, Texas —-(AmmoLand.com)- Promoting wildlife conservation through commerce, the Exotic Wildlife Association (EWA) will promote its Save the Species Campaign during the Dallas Safari Club’s convention on January 7-10 at the Dallas Convention Center.
The EWA is fighting to preserve the legal hunting status of the Scimitar-Horned Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle antelope and ultimately many other exotics like Blackbuck and Axis deer.
During the show, EWA will promote the “Save the Exotic Species” fund raiser through a special give-away that includes a Gold Medal Fallow Deer Hunt at the Texas Hunt Lodge, a premier destination for exotic and whitetail hunting. Attendees at the show can register to win the hunt at the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance booth (#A18) by either joining the Exotic Wildlife Association or by making a donation to the EWA’s Save the Species Fund.
Although the Scimitar-Horned Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle are classified as an endangered species, the special rules by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service enacted in September 2005 made it possible for owners of captive herds to engage in activities including the purchase and sales of the animals and to breed these animals on ranches across the United States. In fact, the program has been so widely successful that it now fuels a $1.3 billion industry and thousands of jobs mostly in rural America.
However, a Federal judge ruled earlier this year that the three species, which are born and raised in the United States, will no longer be exempted from their listing on the endangered species list. As a result, ranchers who have owned and cared for these animals for years will be required to cease all culling and other management activities without special permits by the Federal government.
The EWA has filed an appeal regarding this judge’s ruling which overturned a special rule put in place by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department that allowed three antelope species to be born, raised and freely traded in the United States without the USFWD permitting process.
“Without the special rule, these rare animals which have rebounded by the thousands because of our conservation efforts will decline and pass from the face of the earth,” says Charly Seale, executive director of the Exotic Wildlife Association. “We encourage all sportsmen attending the show to come by the American Deer & Wildlife Alliance booth and show their support for these animals and the future of our industry.”
To learn more about the Exotic Wildlife Association or to donate to the Save Exotic Wildlife Fund, call 830.367.7761, email saveanimals@exoticwildlifeassociation.com or visit www.exoticwildlifeassociation.com.
About:
Headquartered in Ingram, Texas, the Exotic Wildlife Association is dedicated to encourage and to expand the conservation of indigenous and non-indigenous hoofstock animals, and to foster development of the alternative livestock market through agricultural diversity. For more information on EWA, call 830.367.7761 or visit www.exoticwildlifeassociation.com.