Save Endangered Animals Oregon is a grassroots campaign working to save 12 highly-trafficked wild animal types from poaching, cruelty, and the threat of extinction by putting a measure on the November 2016 ballot. We must act now to save our endangered animals.
The trade in such things as rhino horns and elephant tusks won’t end if Oregonians approve a ballot measure this fall that would largely outlaw the practice. That said, a state ban on sales could make it more difficult, and that in itself is a good thing.
Pangolins, known as “scaly anteaters,” are the most heavily trafficked animal in the world, as their scales are sold as a traditional folk remedy in Asia.
“They are on the course to extinction if we don’t do something,” said Scott Beckstead of Sutherlin, the senior Oregon director for the Humane Society of the United States.
Letters to the Editor
The state of Washington took a giant step toward protecting endangered species, and now Oregonians can do the same.
Right now, poachers and traffickers exploit weak laws and regulations to sell ivory, rhino horn, sea turtle shells and other endangered species’ parts with little risk of being caught or prosecuted. Consumer demand (including here in Oregon) gives poachers and traffickers incentive to kill more of these endangered animals to make more money.
About the Issue
Oregon has a long tradition of conservation and animal welfare standards. From elephants to sea turtles, many iconic species face the threat of extinction due to demand for their parts. Save Endangered Animals Oregon is working to put a measure on the November 2016 ballot to prohibit the sale of products and parts from 12 imperiled types of animals.
By voting yes on this measure, Oregon voters will help save sea turtles, sharks, rays, elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, and other critically threatened or endangered species from poaching, cruelty, and the threat of extinction.