Sponsors (14)
The bill centralizes and funds a federal network to speed placement and improve care for confiscated protected wildlife—reducing burdens on border agents and improving welfare—while shifting costs and administrative burdens to nonprofits and requiring congressional appropriations, which could leave gaps in care or program implementation if capacity or funding is insufficient.
Border agents, law enforcement, and seized animals: confiscated wildlife will be placed more quickly into specialized nonprofit/zoos/sanctuary facilities, reducing holding burdens at ports and improving animal welfare and rehabilitation outcomes.
Federal agencies and partner organizations: a single federal point of authority (Secretary acting through USFWS) and a central contact will speed coordinated responses, oversight, and placement decisions for confiscated CITES/ESA animals.
Qualified care facilities and the public: clear eligibility criteria and a centralized list/database of accredited zoos, sanctuaries, aquariums, universities, and NGOs will make it easier to identify appropriate placement and long‑term care options for confiscated protected animals.
Nonprofit sanctuaries, zoos, and rescues: shifting custody of seized animals to external facilities may transfer quarantine, transport, and long‑term care costs onto these organizations.
Seized animals and border operations: because facility participation is limited by eligibility, accreditation, voluntary membership, and network capacity, some confiscated animals could face delayed placement or no available placement at critical times.
Small community rescues and non-accredited organizations: reliance on accrediting partners and committee discretion may privilege larger accredited institutions and disadvantage smaller groups in receiving or retaining animals.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a national network to coordinate placement and care of seized CITES and ESA-listed animals and authorizes $5M/year for 2026–2030 to support it.
Establishes a voluntary national Wildlife Confiscations Network to place, care for, and coordinate the housing of seized CITES-listed and ESA-listed animals and to serve as a single point of contact for federal wildlife law enforcement. It creates a multi-stakeholder committee, a searchable database of qualified care facilities, application and review rules for facilities (zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, universities, NGOs), and requires partnership with a professional accrediting zoological association. Authorizes $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026–2030 to support setup and operations, and directs the Interior Secretary (through USFWS) to implement the program, appoint initial committee members, and move the pilot model toward a nationwide network that relieves federal personnel of long-term animal care duties while preserving evidentiary integrity for seized wildlife and plants.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Andrew R. Garbarino · Last progress May 21, 2025