Association of Zoos & Aquariums Speaks out Against HR 669

tags: HR669, pets, exotic animals, invasive species, pet animal trade, pet parrots, Association of Zoos & Aquariums, AZA, politics

Those of you who are following the situation with HR669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act [full text : free PDF] know this resolution survived its initial House subcommittee hearing and will be heard again on an as-yet unannounced date. Even though I support the stated purpose of this resolution -- preventing invasive nonnative wildlife from being introduced into the United States -- this bill, as written, will not accomplish that goal. I have been communicating with various agencies regarding this issue and have received letters that speak out against HR 669. Jim Maddy, the CEO and president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the official zoo and aquarium accreditation organization in the United States, sent this letter to those who are fighting HR 669.

20 April 2009

Dear Colleagues:

I want to update you on the status of H.R. 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. If enacted as introduced in the House of Representatives, this bill would have drastic consequences. However, AZA Vice President for Government Affairs Steve Olson has been working hard on this, met with the authors of the bill last Friday, and we have made significant progress.

While AZA strongly supports the concept of controlling invasive species, the regulatory burden on AZA-accredited institutions would be unacceptable. Specifically, the bill as currently written, prohibits the import, export, transport and breeding of animals deemed to be "unapproved" by the Secretary of the Interior. The legislation does contain a provision for allowable uses of these unapproved species for accredited zoological or aquarium display purposes through a permit process. With current endangered and threatened species permits taking up to nine months to process, an additional permit process for the import, export, transport or breeding of these additional species would necessitate tens of thousands of additional permits and be completely unworkable.

Congressional staff fully agreed that this would be problematic for AZA members and vowed that they would rectify this should the bill move forward. AZA also made staff aware of the potential impact of the bill on breeders and collectors who work with AZA facilities.

Based on these assurances, we believe that any legislation that moves forward in this area will recognize and accommodate the needs of AZA-accredited institutions. AZA will be carefully monitoring the hearing on H.R. 669 scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd, and will respond accordingly. If you have any questions or are planning to communicate with members of Congress regarding this legislation, please coordinate with Steve Olson, solson@aza.org, so that we can maintain the support of key Committee staff as we move forward.

Regards,

Jim Maddy
President and CEO
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
8403 Colesville Road, Suite 710
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3314
(P) 301-562-0777 X222
(F) 301-562-0888
(E) jmaddy@aza.org

Take Action Now.

HR 669 Links:

Will HR 669 Transform Your Exotic Animals into Illegal Aliens?

The World Parrot Trust Speaks out Against HR 669.

The New England Aquarium Speaks Out Against HR 669.

PetSmart Speaks out Against HR 669.

My detailed analysis of HR 669 and its impacts.

Video discussing some of the impacts HR 669 will have on exotic animal breeders, pet store owners and scientists.

Are you a scientist, conservation biologist, biomedical researcher or exotic animal breeder who will be impacted by HR 669?

Brief Factsheet (printable) regarding HR 669 and its impacts.