A proposed Oregon ballot measure that would outlaw the sale or purchase of animal parts from 12 endangered species has gained the support of OHS.
The organizing group, Save Endangered Animals Oregon, hopes to gather enough signatures to place a measure on the November 2016 ballot that would help species threatened by extinction. Ivory products, for example, could not be sold or purchased in Oregon if the ballot measure is approved.
Animals that would be protected by the measure include rhinos, elephants, sea turtles, and other species that are subject to poaching, cruelty and the threat of extinction. Approximately 35,000 elephants are killed in Africa each year to supply the demand for their ivory, according to the initiative organizers. In 2014, more than 1,200 rhinos were killed in South Africa out of a worldwide population of 29,000 in the wild. All seven sea turtle species are endangered, with three critically imperiled.
“OHS has a long history of supporting efforts to save endangered animals,” said OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon. “The loss of any species is an irreparable loss to the world and we urge Oregonians to support this initiative.”
The 12 types of animals included in the ballot measure are: elephant, rhinoceros, whale, tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, pangolin, sea turtle and shark and ray species.
More information about the initiative can be found here.
