Wild animals face serious threats on many fronts. State and federal legislation is often needed to protect wildlife, including endangered species.
The danger of private citizens keeping wild animals received nationwide attention in 2011 when a man opened the cages to his private menagerie in Zanesville, Ohio and let loose some 50 animals including tigers, lions, cougars, wolves, bears, and monkeys. Legislation is urgently needed to ban the private possession of dangerous exotic animals. Other wildlife issues that need addressed by lawmakers include captive hunts where shooters pay to kill often endangered animals trapped behind fences and the plight of polar bears, endangered animals who are killed by trophy hunters for sport. We work to pass legislation to protect all wildlife from unnecessary killing.
