Wildlife refuge

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A wildlife refuge may be a naturally-occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition. 'Wildlife Refuge' is also one of the many titles given to protected areas, and refers to a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected which is also commonly known as Wildlife Sanctuary . Such wildlife refuges are generally officially designated territories, created by government legislation, though the land itself may be publicly or privately owned. Also, the Chernobyl nuclear accident site has also accidentally become a wildlife refuge.

[edit] History

The first American wildlife refuge, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, was established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 as part of his Square Deal campaign to improve America. At the time, setting aside land for wildlife was not a constitutional right of the president. More recently, a bi-partisan group of U.S. House members established the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus to further the needs of the National Wildlife Refuge System in Congress.

Today there are several national and international organisations that have taken the responsibility of supervising numerous systems of non profit animal sanctuary and refuges in order to provide a general system for sanctuaries to follow. Among them, the American Sanctuary Association monitors and aids in various facilities to care for exotic wildlife. Their accredited facilities follow high standards and a rigid application processes to ensure that the animals under their care are avidly cared for and maintained.