There is still to stop the trapping of eagles on public land, for use in Hopi religious ceremonies in which the eagles are suffocated to death. The Humane Society of the United States has just sent out the following action alert:INTERIOR DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS ALLOWING TRIBES TO KILL EAGLES
Some of the last Federal lands available to wildlife as sanctuary from
hunting and trapping are national parks and monuments. The Los Angeles
Times reported (11/25) that the U.S. Department of Interior (Interior) is considering a policy that would allow Hopi Indian Tribal members to remove golden eaglets at Wupatki National Monument near Flagstaff, AZ. The eaglets would be raised at Hopi villages and then smothered to death in a religious ritual. According to Frank Buono, a retired Parks Service administrator, "It has the potential to unravel the parks system as a collection of animal sanctuaries. This strikes at the integrity of the parks system." Interior may even move to open the entire national park system to Indian religious taking of wildlife, as long as the animals are not on Endangered Species Act lists. This could open the floodgates to hunting and trapping, even for recreation, in our pristine and historically protected national parks and monuments.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Contact Bruce Babbitt, Secretary, Department of Interior, 1849 C St., NW, Washington, DC 20240; Ph: 202-208-3100; Fx: 202-208-6956; Email: mailto:bruce_babbitt@ios.doi.gov and urge him to reject any policy change allowing removal or hunting of wildlife in national parks or monuments for any reason.
