CT Votes for Animals
Rabbit Slaughter – AGAIN - and Saving Hawks from Rodenticides
On Monday March 7, the Environment Committee will hear two bills of interest to CVA supporters. We need you to send a statement, so the Environment Committee knows you want to protect animals.

H.B. No. 5295 AN ACT CONCERNING AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION:  For the second time in a week, Ag has proposed a bill to slaughter rabbits. Even after more than 100 supporters wrote the Commerce Committee to protest this program they are trying a new angle burying it in a program to promote CT farming. Now we need the same outcry by people to tell the Environment Committee No AGAIN to slaughtering rabbits for food.

SB 239, PROHIBITING THE USE OF CERTAIN RODENTICIDES FOR THE PROTECTION OF HAWKS, RAPTORS AND OTHER WILDLIFE: Poisons used to kill rodents (rodenticides) find their way into the ecosystem and wreak havoc with wildlife especially hawks, owls, eagles and other birds of prey. This bill is a first step to address the problem, but it doesn’t go far enough to stop the use of these harmful poisons. Rodenticides kill twice – first they poison rodents and then kill the raptors who ingest the infected prey. Studies conducted by Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine and A Place Called Hope show more than 90% of the birds tested positive for first- and second-generation rodenticide poisons. There are safe alternatives to using poisons for rodent control. Stronger measures are needed to protect our wildlife and people and pets who can be unintentional victims from these lethal rodenticide poisoning.

Use this email to send a statement to the Environment Committee: envtestimony@cga.ct.gov

Be sure to add your name and full address in the statement.  Here’s a sample email for both bills:

Dear Honorable Members of the Environment Committee

Please vote no on HB 5295 that establishes a factory-like farming program to slaughter thousands of rabbits for food consumption under the guise of promoting farming in the state. Rabbits are the third most popular family pet after dogs and cats. While the rest of the country has recognized and elevated rabbits as pets and innovation in the agriculture field is moving away from meat products, CT is taking a step backward in proposing this initiative. Not only is this idea environmentally bad, HB 5263 may exacerbate spread of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV), a highly transmissible and fatal disease for wild and domestic rabbits that is spreading across the country.

Please support and improve SB 239: Poisons used to kill rodents (rodenticides) find their way into the ecosystem and wreak havoc with wildlife especially hawks, owls, eagles and other birds of prey and even jeopardize children and pets. This bill is a good first step, but stronger measures are needed. Please support a ban on lethal second-generation products and limit the use of first-generation rodenticides on state property and public land including wildlife habitats.

Thank you,
Name and address

Original petition here