Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen.(Photo: Getty Images)
May 13, 2015
SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (click here) has donated $390,000 to start his initiative that would create new state criminal penalties for persons trafficking in body parts of endangered species.
The Seattle Times reports that billionaire Paul Allen's Initiative 1401, launched last month, would ban trafficking in body parts from 10 frequently poached endangered species: elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, marine turtle, shark, ray, and pangolin - also known as the scaly anteater.
Allen is the only major donor to the effort so far.
The initiative must submit 246,372 signatures from registered Washington voters by July 2 to qualify for the November ballot.
It is long overdue that endangered species had a champion to end their deaths and potential eradication of a species into being extinct. There are penalties that accompany the damage to an endangered species, but, the enforcement of such policies to it's HABITAT is fuzzy. People causing these problems should be arrested, charged and penalized. Absolutely.
Part of the problem in protecting these species and the threatened species is cuts in spending to support and/or increase the personnel that carry guns and can arrest the offenders. Most of the people in service to the USA that can arrest people that disrespect our lands and programs are armed. They never know exactly what they are walking into when investing people that break the laws, even in the deepest woodlands.
I think it is fantastic to have a corporate partner in these activities to protect the species of flora and fauna alike. Welcome.
