Please help ban the sale of imperiled wildlife parts that currently and shockingly is completely legal here in Vermont! It takes only a few minutes to sign this petition that will be presented to all Vermont legislators and Governor Scott in an effort to pass H.99. This critical bill prohibits the trade in animal parts from 14 of the most highly trafficked animals on the planet including cheetah, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, jaguar, leopard, lion, pangolin, ray, rhinoceros, sea turtle, shark, tiger, and whale. This bill hopes to be presented to the full House of Representatives in August and if passed, will go to the Senate Committee, and then the full Senate before it goes to the Governors desk. 

Federal laws restrict import, export, and interstate trade, but not trade that happens within a state. Interpol estimates that only 10% of the illegal trade that is brought to this country is stopped at the border, meaning that 90% of this illegal trade, including illegal wildlife parts, seep into the country and are free to be traded on the state level unless a state has a law against it. We must act to stop this!

The world is currently in the 6th mass extinction, which unlike the previous five, is caused directly from human activity. The demand for illegal wildlife parts is causing the number of individuals per species to decline drastically. Illegal wildlife trafficking is the 4th largest trade in the world after drugs, humans, and arms/counterfeiting. 

11 states plus DC have already taken action, including New Jersey, New York, California, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, Nevada, New Hampshire, Illinois, Minnesota, and New Mexico. It’s time that Vermont joins these states in taking action against the sale of imperiled wildlife parts. Please sign right now and share with your Vermont friends and ask them to do the same.