The Humane Society of the United States has asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in an amicus brief to overturn the Bush Administration’s recent decision to allow private trophy hunters to kill elk in the Rocky Mountain National Park under the guise of being “volunteer” agents of the National Park Service. Recreational hunting is generally prohibited in national parks, and this move sets a dangerous precedent for opening other national parks to sport hunters who would harm wildlife and put park visitors at risk.
“The Park Service’s decision to suddenly dump a 75-year ban on public hunting in Rocky Mountain National Park is both illegal and horribly misguided,” said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president & chief counsel for animal protection litigation and research for The HSUS. “Our national parks are supposed to be safe havens for wildlife, not personal playgrounds for the trophy hunting lobby.”
In developing a plan to cull the park’s elk population, the Park Service initially rejected the idea of allowing private hunters to kill elk in the park, noting that “the use of public marksmen would constitute hunting, which federal law prohibits in the park.” However, the agency abruptly reversed course and authorized the use of “volunteer” public hunters after an intense lobbying effort by extreme trophy hunting groups.
Congress has specifically prohibited all hunting and trapping in the Rocky Mountain National Park, but allows the agency to remove animals who are damaging park resources under certain specific and strict conditions. Allowing public hunters to kill wildlife under the guise of “assisting” the Park Service in managing wildlife not only eviscerates a decades-long ban on sport hunting in the park, but also sets a troubling precedent that could be expanded to the entire National Park System.
Facts:
- The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on March 25, 2008 by WildEarth Guardians, an organization that works to restore wildlife, wild rivers and wild places in the American West.
- The Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915. In 1929, Congress chose to expressly prohibit all hunting within the park.
- Elk are a major attraction for visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. Each year thousands of people come to enjoy viewing elk and listening to the bulls bugle in late summer and early fall.
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.