For immediate release: January 31, 2012

Carter fights to block potential mass killing of endangered African antelope  

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The majority of the world’s known population of three endangered African antelope species could be culled this spring unless a controversial ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is overruled by Congress and the President, according to House Republican Conference Secretary John R. Carter (TX-31). 

“This case makes glaringly clear why extremist groups cannot be allowed to use the courts to make legislative decisions,” Carter says.  “This change in regulations will lead to the forced culling of the majority of these species on game ranches in North America, and will likely end in the disappearance of all three species on this continent within a decade, greatly increasing their chances of worldwide extinction.”

Carter is introducing legislation to restore the original USFWS ruling that allows hunting preserves to stock, breed, hunt, and preserve the species, under which the antelope were saved from extinction over past decades.   Lawsuits by extremist animal rights groups led to the agency’s revocation of those rules.   As a result, game ranchers will be economically forced to cull their herds of African antelope by April unless the rules are changed.   

“Our goal is to save these species from extinction,” says Carter. “This ruling, if allowed to stand, could in fact eliminate these magnificent animals from the face of the earth, for no reason other than the advancement of a radical political philosophy.  We cannot allow that to happen, for the sake of future generations of both people and wildlife.”

CBS News 60 Minutes on this issue: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396862n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.6

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rule Notice:
http://www.fws.gov/international/DMA_DSA/threeantelopefinalrule.html

   
U.S. Rep. John Carter
http://carter.house.gov/
31st District of Texas
409 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Contact: John.Stone@mail.house.gov; (202) 225-3864