Last week, the Government issued a decision permitting foreign nationalities hunting up-to four leopards for research purposes in 2011.
In connection with the Cabinet decision, Snow Leopard Network, a worldwide organization involved in snow leopard conservation, takes immediate action and sent a letter to Mongolian government asking them not to allow permits for hunting snow leopards.
In its letter, Snow Leopard Network sought Mongolian government’s support for ensuring the conservation of this highly endangered species, stressing that the entire international community has been highly concerned by reports that an official license to hunt four snow leopards has just been granted in Mongolia.
“As you are aware, the snow leopard is threatened with extinction, and is categorized as Endangered in the IUCN’s Red List. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists it in its SCHEDULE I, thereby prohibiting any international trade in snow leopards or its body parts” the letter reads.
I think that if the snow leopard is threatened with extinction then the people doing the research should only be able to hunt only two a year if the really needed to kill them. If it is possible for them to just tranquilize them and do their research and then let it go so the animal is not killed and is still around for it to reproduce.
http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5903&Itemid=36
Giving people permission to kill an already endangered species will only make them go extinct faster. Even if it is for research that doesn't make it okay. There will be nothing to research if they are all dead. I agree with your idea to just put them to sleep for testing and then letting them go.
ReplyDeleteDo they really need to kill the animals to study them? I'm a little confused by why they need permission to 'hunt' leopards to conduct research...In fact, why do they need to study them at all? Legalizing the hunting of snow leopards, if only a limited amount, will all but increase their population. That is unless they are trying to extract their DNA in order to clone or create a race of mega-snow leopards, but that seems like it would have its own negative repercussions.
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