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the needs of tourists. It was the money their tribes receive from hunting license 

 fees which prompted chieftains along the Luangwa Valley of Zambia to encourage 

 their followers to conserve rhinos when, just a few years ago, they were uncon- 

 cerned about poaching which would have led to elimination of rhinos from 

 the Valley. 



While most endangered animals are rarely imported, inclusion on the Secre- 

 tary's list of foreign species will protect species coveted as i>ets or sought by 

 unscrupulous collectors because of their rarity. Typical of those which could 

 benefit from such protection are some lemurs of Madagascar, the orangutan, and 

 the Asian rhinos which command high prices from zoos and the Galapagos 

 tortoises which have even been sold as pets. The aid of zoos, museums, and 

 scientific associations will be sought to screen requests for liermission to import 

 specimens in order to insure that only requests with scientific merit are granted. 

 Collectors of vanishing species will be denied the opportunity to bring their 

 prizes back to the United States. 



The law is not intended to stop importation of foreign wildlife. Several mil- 

 lion-dollar industries are dependent upon animals or wildlife products imported 

 into the United States. Perhaps even more imiwrtant are the needs of medical 

 research for foreign wildlife. As an example, hundreds of thousands of Rhesus 

 monkeys were imported during the work to develop Salk vaccine. 



It is true that the law will have effect on the total volume of wildlife importa- 

 tions, but this does not mean that the law will not have little effect on importa- 

 tions. Rational management and use of wildlife keeps populations in balance 

 with birth rate, habitat, and food supply without endangering their survival. 

 Poaching and smuggling of hides and feathers are international problems which 

 potentially threaten the existence of many creatures that could maintain stable 

 populations under less intense pressure regulated by wildlife conservation 

 agencies. 



Since 1930. importation of mammals, birds and fish taken or exported illegally 

 from their country of origin has been unlawful under provisions of the Tariff 

 and Lacey Acts. Our help has been rarely solicited because the laws have been 

 little known abroad, and the prohibitions have been generally unenforced because 

 of communications difficulties and our lack of knowledge of foreign regulations. 

 Now, however, the conservation agencies of other countries are being asked for 

 copies of their laws. Closer liaison with foreign officials is planned and several 

 actions were taken in late 1969 and 1970 against importers of smuggled hides and 

 feathers. 



The 1969 law covers all vertebrate life, plus mollusks and crustaceans. Earlier 

 legislation had protected only mammals, birds, and fish. It is now a Federal 

 offense to purchase, ship or sell alligators or other reptiles in interstate com- 

 merce if they were taken contrary to State or foreign law. This new provision, 

 rather than the alligator's status as an endangered si>ecies, gives Federal agents 

 authority to assist the States in curbing the traffic in poached hides. Similar 

 authority helped halt the trade in egret feathers shortly after the Lacey Act 

 was passed. 



All live wildlife imported into the United States must now be declared to 

 Customs officials at the U.S. port of entry. The new law requires that packages 

 containing wildlife products entering the country be labeled on the outside with 

 the name and address of the shipper and consignee, and a description of the 

 contents. We hope that this will aid foreign agencies to detect shipments of hides 

 being smuggled out mislabeled as "personal effects." 



To simplify enforcement of regulations, ports of entry into the U.S. for live 

 wildlife, hides and hide products (except those originating in Canada and 

 Mexico) will be limited although there are provisions for exceptions in unusual 

 circumstances. A regulation has been adopted which will require most incoming 

 shipments to be accompanied either by a certificate of origin or one of legal 

 taking (such as that already used by East African countries) issued by appro- 

 priate authorities in the country where the animal or produce originated. This, 

 too. should help the identification of easily confused sub.species. It should also 

 help reduce smuggling. Some countries without laws regulating the traffic in 

 hides export far more skins than they could possibly produce. We doubt that 

 officials in these countries will be willing to certify skins that were not actually 

 taken within their country's boundaries. 



In this country we learned long ago that protection was not enough to insure 

 the well-being of wildife. Management is needed as well, and the Endangered 

 Species Conservation Act of 1969 directs Interior to provide technical assistance 



