Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Kevin Fiscus Winston Lancaster shows off small moles in what he calls a true "research and teaching museum." [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Kevin Fiscus Sac State's small museum includes skulls, antlers, animal skins, etc. Above, In the museum, Winston Lancaster shows off the skull of a small monkey. [Click to enlarge]

Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez has come under scrutiny, after letters he signed in support of the hunting of numerous Tanzanian animals surfaced.

On Monday, The Humane Society requested that the California State University Board of Trustees investigate how many animals were killed and provide compensation for their suffering by funding animal protection efforts in Tanzania, said CSU Media Relations Specialist Paul Browning.

Browning said he is positive the trustees are working on a response letter, but is unsure of what the response will be.

"The board is writing a response letter," he said. "At this point I kind of think it's a moot point about something that happened a couple of years ago."

In a 2004 letter to Emmanuel Severre, director of Wildlife in the Ministry of Natural Resources in Tanzania, Gonzalez requested that local couple Paul and Renee Snider be issued special licenses to hunt animals not covered under the standard Tanzanian license. Some of the requested animals are currently listed as critically endangered, with others, like the white-rumped vulture, classified as having an extremely high-risk of extinction, according to the Species Survival Commission's red list.

Using Gonzalez's letters as authorization, the Sniders traveled to Tanzania twice with the purpose of hunting red-listed African animals to complete their East African collection.

The Sniders intended to donate $2.4 million to Sac State to help fund a natural science museum where their collection could be displayed.

The methods of Gonzalez and the Sniders have been criticized by a number of professors.

"It was unwise of Gonzalez to embark on a journey without seeking professional advice from our community," said Winston Lancaster, associate biology professor. "He should have relied on the faculty's professional expertise rather than going about things on his own."

In an e-mail sent out to various members of the campus community, Gonzalez wrote, "The idea was that the collection would provide an opportunity not only for our students but for school children in the region to see specimens that are not normally available."

Lancaster said that as an exhibit museum, the animals displayed are meant more for public viewing than teaching or educational purposes.

In a 2004 letter, former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Marion O'Leary wrote, "We badly need as many animals and birds as possible for this project."

However, the museum had never been officially sanctioned, making the request premature.

"Looking back, I should have used a much higher level of scrutiny regarding the original letter and later follow-up," Gonzalez wrote.

When O'Leary originally asked Nick Ewing, chair of the biological sciences department, to sign the letter supporting the Sniders' hunts, he failed to include a copy of the list of targeted species.

Ewing said he refused to sign the letter because of the broad range of individual responses previous faculty meetings had elicited. He said, however, that had the list been provided to the department the reactions would have been stronger.

"The department of biological science had not seen the list; if we had been consulted, we would have definitely objected strongly," Ewing said.

The act of hunting red-listed animals goes against the department's goals of promoting conservation and the appropriate management of resources.

"With so many species and ecosystems being threatened, we want to strongly promote conservation and promote having a positive impact on the world, rather than a negative one," Ewing said.

Ewing said the department has had many heated discussions regarding the issue and that there were numerous professors who vigorously opposed the idea of accepting trophy animals. He said, that on the other hand, there were others who felt accepting such donations would be entirely appropriate due to the great educational possibilities.

In 2004, Ewing said he urged O'Leary to express the biological sciences department's concerns to the president and vice president.

"They appear to have listened to our concerns," Ewing said. "The university may have at that point realized that the negative perception was something to be concerned about."

In 2006, Ewing wrote a letter to Gonzalez explaining that the department believed the collection was "of limited educational value."

In May, the Hornet reported that there had been controversy surrounding.

"The department had discussed whether the university should accept the collection at all," Ewing said.

The department's current policy is to only use salvaged animals with deaths largely due to accidents or natural conditions.

Ewing said the department is " not accepting or actively seeking any hunted animals for its collections."

In response to recent events, however, the department is discussing its current policies regarding outside collections.

"There had been controversy for many years," Ewing said. "The department had discussed whether the university should accept the collection at all."

The department's current policy is to only use salvaged animals that are obtained mainly through the Department of Fish and Game, with deaths largely due to accidents or natural conditions and they "are not accepting or actively seeking any hunted animals for their collections. We will publish a department approved set of policies within the month." Ewing said.

With strong opinions present throughout many of Sac State's departments some questioned how the general public and student body felt.

"No matter what exhibit Sac State puts on, some people would find some reason to complain," said Cahill Bhanji, freshman human relations major. "I don't endorse the hunting of endangered species but there are way more important causes out there to get up in-arms about."

Vice President of Public Relations Frank Whitlatch said the university is no longer planning to build a natural history museum.

Because of recent revelations the Sniders' African animal collection will remain homeless. While many of the exhibits can be found at the Sniders' Elk Grove home others remain in storage facilities around the world.

The Sniders could not be reached for comment.

Vice President of Public Affairs Frank Whitlatch said he is unsure how the press surrounding the incident will affect Sac State and its reputation.

"It's far too early tell," he said. "Sacramento State is a great university with a solid reputation...I expect our reputation to remain strong going forward."

Amber Kantner can be reached at akantner@statehornet.com.

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