Wildlife Protection Groups Ask Federal Court to Uphold Polar Bear Trophy Hunting Ban

In a separate filing today, the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace have also sought to participate in the lawsuit.

"Polar bears are headed toward the brink -- everyone knows it. It is shameful that this group is not relenting in its quest to allow the trophy killing of these remarkable animals," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS. "Safari Club International has made a game of encouraging its members to shoot rare animals around the world, the rarer the better. But there is no reason why the federal government or the courts should condone this perverse practice."

Although the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 prohibits trophy hunting of polar bears inAlaska and bars the killing or import of all other marine mammals, SCI and other trophy hunting groups convinced Congress to punch a loophole through the law in 1994, allowing American hunters to import polar bear trophies fromCanada. Since then, more than 900 polar bear heads and hides have been imported intothe United States by wealthy trophy hunters. The recent decision to list the polar bear as threatened under the ESA closed down this commercial trade and ended the import of trophy-hunted polar bears intothe United States.

"Recent studies have shown that trophy hunting is having profound impacts on polar bear populations already threatened by global warming." said Jeff Flocken, IFAWWashington, DC office director. "In fact, trophy hunting may have already tipped the balance toward extinction for some of the polar bear populations from which Safari Club members like to hunt their trophies."

A decline in polar bear numbers in recent years has been linked to the retreat of sea ice and its formation later in the year. Ice is also breaking up earlier and this trend is likely to continue. Bears have been forced ashore before they have time to build sufficient fat stores, resulting in thinner, stressed bears, fewer cubs and lower survival rates. Faced with habitat loss and population decline, polar bears should not have to contend with high-priced commercial trophy hunting.

"Until we take steps to address global warming, we need to do all we can to relieve further threats that are accelerating the bears' downward spiral, including the trophy hunting of polar bears in Canada," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

The HSUS, IFAW, and Defenders of Wildlife are represented in the case by Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal, a public interest law firm inWashington, D.C.

Facts:

    --  Safari Club International is a club for big game trophy hunters
        interested in obtaining heads, hides and horns of rare species in order
        to gain entry in SCI's macabre record book of trophy animals, which
        includes awards for members who have killed all of the world's bear
        species.
    --  Today, trophy hunting of polar bears is banned in the United States, and
        only Alaskan natives are allowed to hunt small numbers of bears for
        subsistence.
    --  Scientists estimate there are 21,500 to 25,000 polar bears in the Arctic
        - more than half are in Canada and most of these are in the territory of
        Nunavut. Throughout their range, polar bears face unprecedented threats
        from global climate change, environmental degradation and hunting.
    --  Of the five "polar bear nations" (Canada, Denmark, Norway,
        Russia and the U.S.), only Canada allows polar bear trophy hunting.
    --  A recent study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) concluded
        that two of the six polar bear populations from which Americans imported
        polar bear trophies would be gone by the year 2050, with the remaining
        four disappearing by the end of this century.
    --  Trophy hunters target the largest and most fit bears, which are the
        animals critical to ensuring the survival of polar bear populations.

The Humane Society ofthe United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization - backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org.

Founded in 1969, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is an international animal welfare and conservation organization that works to protect wild and domestic animals and to broker solutions that benefit both animals and people. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

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