The Bush administration proposes to relax rules that protect rare wildlife. But hey, the move will raise money to protect rare wildlife...

Conservationists are angry over a Bush administration proposal that would allow the importation of animals listed on the United States' endangered species list, a move they say will further cripple the species' dwindling populations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a relaxation of regulations that prohibit the transport of live animals considered endangered in other countries. That would mean hunters and merchants who trade in animal skins, tusks and other body parts would be able to go after their prized prey unquestioned.

Administration officials contend revenue generated from the move would help fund conservation efforts both in the United States and abroad. But animal rights activists say that is not true.

"There are a lot of other ways to bring in revenue rather than to place a price tag on endangered species to allow them to be killed or captured," said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of The Humane Society of the United States.

HSUS says the international commercial wildlife trade is worth billions of dollars every year and has been responsible for the decline of wild populations of a number of species of animals and plants.

"The Bush administration is telling us with a straight face that the best way to protect endangered species in poor countries is to allow those species to be hunted or captured, then sold in the United States," [said John Kostyack, senior counsel for the National Wildlife Federation].

In a memorandum filed as the public comment on the measure closed last week, Kostyack called the move the Bush administration's latest effort to distort the letter and spirit of the United States' environmental laws, by claiming that its proposal is compatible with the Endangered Species Act. (via UPI)