Since the federal government has opened the floodgates to importing elephant and other animal body parts (aka “trophies”) from Africa into the United States, state legislation is more important than ever. The Iconic African Species Protection Act (SB 1487) will prohibit imports of eleven hunted species of African wildlife into California after January 1, 2019. This Act is set for a hearing before the State Public Safety Committee tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 4/24). so please call committee members immediately upon reading this alert.

As a resident of California (you don’t need to be a registered voter), your calls will protect African elephants, African lions, leopards, black rhinoceroses, white rhinoceroses, giraffes, Jentink’s duikers, plains zebras, mountain zebras, hippopotamuses, and striped hyenas.  This legislation, introduced by Senator Henry Stern, has already passed one Senate committee and now needs your push to get a “yes” vote again so it can go to the full California Senate for a vote.

What YOU Can Do

1). Call all the committee members TODAY as the hearing is tomorrow!

See the list of committee members below and use the phone numbers to call them.

When a staff person in that office answers, politely say something like the following:

"As a California resident, I am urging the senator to vote yes to pass SB 1487, the California Iconic African Species Protection Act out of the Public Safety Committee. I care very much about protecting these eleven species of African wild animals and want everything possible done to save them from extinction.”

Please call all Public Safety Committee members. Your state senator does not have to be on the committee.

Senate Public Safety Members:

Senator Nancy Skinner (Chair): 916-651-4009

Senator Joel Anderson: 916-651-4038

Senator Steven Bradford: 916-651-4035

Senator Holly J. Mitchell   916-651-4030

Senator Jeff Stone:  916-651-4028

Senator Scott D. Wiener: 916-651-4011

Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson: 916-651-4019

2.) If you haven’t done so already, please sign our Reverse Trump’s Death Sentence for Elephants alert!

Thank you for taking the time to speak up for elephants!