Action Alert:

Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to Sign Wildlife Protection Bills (AB 449 and AB 1477)

Your phone calls and emails to the governor are urgently needed to help protect California wildlife.Two bills are pending in the California Legislature which will work in concert with each other and will provide basic protection to wildlife. These bills, which establish standards for the wildlife control operators who are hired to remove and, in most cases, kill wild animals, are moving through the legislative process. They are currently pending a vote on the senate floor and, hopefully, will land soon on the Governor's desk. It is critical that he hear now from animal advocates who support this bill.

Background

"Wildlife control operators" are individuals or businesses hired to deal with wildlife conflicts between humans and animals. The first bill, AB 1477, will require that wildlife control operators inform customers of available non-lethal methods and whether lethal methods actually will be used, if necessary. In addition, non-target animals (such as family dogs and cats) found in traps would be immediately released or, if injured or diseased, would receive treatment. Finally, wildlife control operators would need to complete continuing education coursework. In situations where the animals must be killed, AB 449 would require that the animals captured by these individuals could be killed only by methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Panel on Euthanasia.

Need for Legislation

The need for this legislation is clear. No training or continuing education is currently required to ensure that wildlife control operators are aware of the safest and most humane methods for dealing with wildlife, including non-lethal solutions and techniques to prevent orphaning of infant wildlife. Additionally, no guidelines exist for situations when non-target animals, such as cats and dogs, are found in traps intended for wildlife.

Furthermore, under existing law, there are no requirements regarding how trapped animals are killed. Existing law stipulates that trapped animals must be released on the same property or be killed. However, there are no specific standards for the methods used to kill the animals. Although some wildlife control operators employ lethal methods sanctioned by the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are reports of some operators who kill trapped animals with cruel and inhumane measures (e.g., drowning, injecting with acetone, and hanging).

Consumers have come forward and explained that they have hired wildlife control operators but were not informed that lethal solutions are often ineffective. As long as food, water, and a conducive environment are present, other wild animals can move in to fill the opening created by lethal removal of the prior inhabitant. It is in the best interest of consumers to attempt preventive, non-lethal solutions prior to utilizing lethal options. And some consumers are not fully informed when they hire wildlife control operators that the animals will be killed. This legislation will ensure that consumers are informed and wildlife are protected from the most inhumane killing methods.

AB 449 and AB 1477 are sponsored by the California Animal Association, a coalition of 13 animal protection organizations who have come together to work on pro-animal legislation in California. AVAR is a founding member of the coalition and serves on the Steering Committee working on the bills.

What You Can Do

Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger TODAY and urge him to sign AB 1477 and AB 449 into law!

Contact the Governor at:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
[masked]
[masked] fax
[address removed]

Thanks for taking action!

~Armaiti