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Conservation, Scientific, Environmental 



and Animal Welfare Organizations Support 



Reauthorization of the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act 



The Honorable James Saxton 



Chairman 



Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 



U.S. House of Representatives 



Washington, DC 20515 



October 25, 1995 



Dear Mr. Saxton: 



The undersigned organizations support reauthorization of the U.S. Wild Bird 

 Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA) without changes. In particular, we oppose 

 any weakening of WBCA requirements for the importation of foreign, captive-bred 

 birds. Strict federal regulations are necessary in order to insure that imported 

 exotic birds, claimed to be captive-bred have been genuinely bred-in-captivity. 

 Otherwise wild birds, even threatened and protected species, could easily enter 

 the United States in violation of federal law. 



The U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act is a critical tool to promote the conservation 

 of exotic birds in the wild. Prior to its implementation, the United States was the 

 world's leading importer of wild birds for pets -more than 7.4 million birds were 

 imported between 1980 and 1991. High mortalities of birds in trade necessitated 

 that many times the number sold be captured in the wild. Since implementation 

 of the WBCA, U.S. imports of wild exotic birds have declined drastically. This 

 Act is giving wild populations a chance to recover from decades of destructive, 

 unsustainable trade for the U.S. pet market. 



Thank you for your support on this important issue. 



Sincerely, 



Alaska Wildlife Alliance 



American Humane Association 



American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 



Animal Protection Institute of America 



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