Political Quotes

“as a cosponsor of H.R. 1787, I rise in support of this legislation to create an Asian elephant conservation fund. This measure is modeled after the highly successful African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. It will authorize up to $5 million per year to be appropriated to the Department of the Interior to fund various projects to conserve the African elephant. This flagship species of the Asian continent is in grave danger of extinction. According to international experts, there are less than 45,000 Asian elephants living in the wild. On a daily basis, these animals face the loss of their forest habitat, poachers who kill them for their bones, hide, ivory, and meat, capture for use in Burma's timber industry, and conflicts between elephants and man. While Asian elephants are found in 13 countries in South and Southeast Asia, nearly half of the wild population reside in India. Unless immediate steps are taken to help conserve this species, it will continue to disappear from its historic habitat. By enacting this legislation, it is my hope that projects will be funded to update census figures, assist in antipoaching efforts, translocate highly endangered elephants, and educate the public on why it is important to protect Asian elephants.”