[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6056-6057]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCTION OF THE GREAT CATS & RARE CANIDS ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 9, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce 
the Great Cats & Rare Canids Act along with my original cosponsers and 
fellow cochairs of the International Conservation Caucus, Mr. Royce, 
Mr. Tanner and our newest cochair, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky.
  Madam Speaker, the first time you witness a great cat or a wild dog, 
you are likely to feel a rush of adrenaline, a sense of awe, and a 
heightened awareness of your vulnerability. Leading experts in 
carnivore biology assure us that these majestic animals feel equal 
anticipation and anxiety when encountering people. When I spoke with 
Dr. Alan Rabinowitz of the Wildlife Conservation Society, who has 
dedicated his life to saving big cats like jaguars, tigers and snow 
leopards, he told me, ``Of all of the earth's magnificent creatures, 
the ones easiest to identify with, the ones most symbolic of the 
wildness remaining on our planet are the large carnivores, the top 
predators of the world.'' He is right.
  Lions, cheetahs, leopards, African wild dogs, Ethiopian wolves, 
jaguars, manned wolves, bush dogs, clouded leopards, snow leopards, 
dholes, Iberian lynx and European gray wolves face threats from habitat 
conversion, loss of food sources, illegal trade, and disease. 
Scientists report that populations of all of these species are sharply 
declining compared to their historic ranges. African wild dogs and 
Ethiopian wolves especially are approaching crisis. Populations of snow 
leopards in Asia have declined due to illegal hunting for their use in 
traditional Asian medicine.
  That is why it is imperative that the United States, through the U.S. 
Fish & Wildlife Service, support efforts to conserve these predators at 
the top of the food chain. Modeled after the highly successful 
Multinational Species Conservation Funds, which conserve rhinos, 
tigers, Great Apes, Asian elephants, African elephants, and marine 
turtles, this bill is authorized at $5 million annually for the 
conservation of more than a dozen species of great cats and rare 
canines existing outside the United States. Acting as umbrella species 
for entire ecosystems, the health and stability of these iconic species 
are excellent indicators of human sustainability as well.
  I don't stand alone in my conviction to conserve these species. My 
fellow cochairs of the House International Conservation Caucus and 77 
other Members of Congress cosponsored the Great Cats and Rare Canids 
Act in the 109th Congress. In fact, last year on Capitol Hill, another 
champion of these animals, the actress Glenn Close, who serves on the 
Board of the Wildlife Conservation Society, premiered a film entitled 
Living With Predators, to raise awareness of the plight faced by these 
predators and how global conservation organizations are offering 
innovative solutions to ensure their healthy populations and landscapes 
remain. Even just a minor commitment from the United States will 
greatly support their efforts. This bill authorizes that support.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my fellow cochairs of the 
House International Conservation Caucus--Representative Tanner, 
Representative Rogers, and Representative Royce--to re-introduce the 
Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007. I call on all members of 
Congress to show their support for these wonderful wild animals and the 
ecosystems in which they exist by cosponsoring this bill.

[[Page 6057]]



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