IB 

Union Calendar No. 414 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1464 

[Report No. 110–657] 

To assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare canids by supporting 

and providing financial resources for the conservation programs of nations within the range of rare felid and rare canid populations and 

projects of persons with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of 

rare felid and rare canid populations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2007 

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. TANNER, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, and Mr. ROYCE) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Natural Resources 

MAY 19, 2008 

Additional sponsors: Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of 

California, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. STARK, Ms. 

SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. CHANDLER, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. FARR, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

DELAHUNT, Mr. COHEN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Mr. CLAY, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 

FRANK of Massachusetts, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Ms. DELAURO, 

Mr. INSLEE, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. 

LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. 

SERRANO, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MICHAUD, 

Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, 

Mr. KIRK, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. NADLER, Mr. MEEKS of 

New York, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. KIND, Mr. KING of New 

York, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. HOLT, Ms. LEE, Mr. 

MCDERMOTT, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. BISHOP of New York, 

Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. SESTAK, 

Mr. TERRY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. 

ENGEL, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. WOLF, Mr. DAVIS

of Illinois, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. CARNAHAN, 

Mr. BERMAN, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. 


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BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. 

GUTIERREZ, Mr. UPTON, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, and Ms. SUTTON

MAY 19, 2008 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 9, 2007] 

A BILL 

To assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare canids 

by supporting and providing financial resources for the 

conservation programs of nations within the range of 

rare felid and rare canid populations and projects of 

persons with demonstrated expertise in the conservation 

of rare felid and rare canid populations. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Cats and Rare 

5 Canids Act of 2008.’’ 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Many wild populations of felids and canids, 

9 once considered common, are in decline, and many 

10 have declined to the point that their long-term sur11 vival in the wild is in serious jeopardy. 

12 (2) Of the 37 wild felid species worldwide, all 

13 are currently recognized as species in need of protecVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:30 May 19, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1464.RH H1464

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1 tion under the IUCN Red List, the lists of species in 

2 CITES appendices I, II, and III, or the Endangered 

3 Species Act of 1973. Of the 35 wild canid species 

4 worldwide, nearly 50 percent are recognized as in 

5 need of such protection. 

6 (3) In addition to their intrinsic value, felids 

7 and canids are important aesthetic, economic, and ec8 ological global resources that need to be conserved. 

9 (4) Large felids and canids are considered both 

10 umbrella and indicator species. Healthy populations 

11 of these species act as an important indicator of the 

12 integrity of entire ecosystems and, because they re13 quire large wild spaces to persist, benefit entire eco14 systems and a large number of other species. Measures 

15 taken to benefit these keystone species will ultimately 

16 benefit a great number of other species. 

17 (5) Rare felids and rare canids face an array of 

18 threats, including loss of habitat and natural prey, 

19 intentional and unintentional takings by humans, 

20 disease transmission, and a vast number of other 

21 threats. These threats need to be addressed in a co22 ordinated fashion. 

23 (6) Conservation of rare felid and rare canid 

24 populations requires global commitment. Adequate 

25 funding for conservation is sorely lacking, and many 


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1 range countries for those species do not have adequate 

2 infrastructure to protect species of concern. Those 

3 countries that do provide assistance to threatened 

4 populations need further assistance in implementing 

5 effective conservation strategies. 

6 (7) In particular, in developing nations with 

7 limited resources, poverty, population growth, and 

8 habitat loss all present significant challenges to con9 servation of rare felids and rare canids. 

10 (8) Although some protections and initiatives 

11 exist to conserve rare felid and rare canid populations 

12 and their habitat, those efforts can be significantly 

13 strengthened and enhanced by increased coordination 

14 and the infusion of targeted funding to benefit species 

15 of concern. 

16 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

17 The purposes of this Act are to provide financial re18 sources and to foster international cooperation— 

19 (1) to restore and perpetuate healthy populations 

20 of rare felids and rare canids in the wild; and 

21 (2) to assist in the conservation of rare felid and 

22 rare canid populations worldwide. 

23 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this Act: 


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1 (1) CITES.—The term ‘‘CITES’’ ‘‘’’ means the 

2 Convention on International Trade in Endangered 

3 Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Wash4 ington March 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249), 

5 including its appendices. 

6 (2) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘‘conservation’’— 

7 (A) means the methods and procedures nec8 essary to bring a species of rare felid or rare 

9 canid to the point at which there are sufficient 

10 populations in the wild to ensure the long-term 

11 viability of the species; 

12 (B) includes all activities associated with 

13 protection and management of a rare felid or 

14 rare canid population, including— 

15 (i) maintenance, management, protec16 tion, and restoration of rare felid or rare 

17 canid habitat; 

18 (ii) research and monitoring; 

19 (iii) law enforcement; 

20 (iv) community outreach and edu21 cation; 

22 (v) conflict resolution initiatives; and 

23 (vi) strengthening the capacity of local 

24 communities, governmental agencies, non25 governmental organizations and other instiVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:30 May 19, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1464.RH H1464

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1 tutions to implement conservation pro2 grams. 

3 (3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Great 

4 Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund established 

5 by section 6. 

6 (4) IUCN RED LIST.—The term ‘‘IUCN Red 

7 List’’ means the Red List of Threatened Species 

8 Maintained by the World Conservation Union. 

9 (5) RARE CANID.—The term ‘‘rare canid’’— 

10 (A) means any canid species, subspecies, or 

11 population that— 

12 (i) is not native to the area comprised 

13 of the United States and Canada; and 

14 (ii) is included in the IUCN Red List, 

15 Appendix I, II, or III of CITES, or any list 

16 published under section 4(c) of the Endan17 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

18 1532(c)); and 

19 (B) includes such a subspecies or population 

20 of dhole (Cuon alpinus), gray wolf (Canis 

21 lupus), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), bush 

22 dog (Speothos venaticus), African wild dog 

23 (Lycaon pictus), or maned wolf (Chrysocyon 

24 brachyurus). 

25 (6) RARE FELID.—The term ‘‘rare felid’’— 


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1 (A) subject to subparagraph (C), means any 

2 felid species, subspecies, or population that— 

3 (i) is not native to the area comprised 

4 of the United States and Canada; and 

5 (ii) is included in the IUCN Red List, 

6 Appendix I, II, or III of CITES, or any list 

7 published under section 4(c) of the Endan8 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

9 1532(c)); 

10 (B) includes such a subspecies or population 

11 of lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera 

12 pardus), jaguar (Panthera onca), snow leopard 

13 (Uncia uncia), clouded leopard (Neofelis 

14 nebulosa), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), or Iberian 

15 lynx (Lynx pardina); and 

16 (C) does not include any tiger (Panthera ti17 gris). 

18 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ refers to 

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 SEC. 5. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of funds 

22 and in consultation with other appropriate Federal offi23 cials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to pro24 vide financial assistance for projects for the conservation 

25 of rare felid and rare canids for which project proposals 


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1 are approved by the Secretary in accordance with this sec2 tion. 

3 (b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 

4 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a 

5 project for the conservation of rare felid and canids 

6 may be submitted to the Secretary by— 

7 (A) any wildlife management authority of a 

8 country that has within its boundaries any part 

9 of the range of a rare felid or rare canid species, 

10 respectively; and 

11 (B) any person or group with the dem12 onstrated expertise required for the conservation 

13 in the wild of rare felids or rare canids, respec14 tively. 

15 (2) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—To be considered for 

16 financial assistance for a project under this Act, an 

17 applicant shall submit a project proposal that in18 cludes— 

19 (A) a concise statement of the purposes of 

20 the project; 

21 (B) the name of the individual responsible 

22 for conducting the project; 

23 (C) a description of the qualifications of the 

24 individuals who will conduct the project; 

25 (D) a concise description of— 


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1 (i) methods for project implementation 

2 and outcome assessment; 

3 (ii) staffing for the project; 

4 (iii) the logistics of the project; and 

5 (iv) community involvement in the 

6 project; 

7 (E) an estimate of funds and time required 

8 to complete the project; 

9 (F) evidence of support for the project by 

10 appropriate governmental entities of the coun11 tries in which the project will be conducted, if 

12 the Secretary determines that such support is re13 quired for the success of the project; 

14 (G) information regarding the source and 

15 amount of matching funding available for the 

16 project; and 

17 (H) any other information that the Sec18 retary considers to be necessary for evaluating 

19 the eligibility of the project for funding under 

20 this Act. 

21 (c) PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

23 (A) not later than 30 days after receiving a 

24 project proposal, provide a copy of the proposal 

25 to the appropriate Federal officials; and 


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1 (B) review each project proposal in a timely 

2 manner to determine if the proposal meets the 

3 criteria specified in subsection (d). 

4 (2) CONSULTATION; APPROVAL OR DIS5 APPROVAL.—Not later than 180 days after receiving 

6 a project proposal, and subject to the availability of 

7 funds, the Secretary, after consulting with other ap8 propriate Federal officials, shall— 

9 (A) ensure the proposal contains assurances 

10 that the project will be implemented in consulta11 tion with relevant wildlife management authori12 ties and other appropriate government officials 

13 with jurisdiction over the resources addressed by 

14 the project; 

15 (B) approve or disapprove the proposal; 

16 and 

17 (C) provide written notification of the ap18 proval or disapproval to the person who sub19 mitted the proposal, other appropriate Federal 

20 officials, and each country within whose borders 

21 the project will take place. 

22 (d) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Secretary may 

23 approve a project proposal under this section if the project 

24 will contribute to conservation of rare felids or rare canids 

25 in the wild by assisting efforts to— 


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1 (1) implement conservation programs; 

2 (2) address the conflicts between humans and 

3 rare felids or rare canids, respectively, that arise from 

4 competition for the same habitat or resources; 

5 (3) enhance compliance with CITES, the Endan6 gered Species Act of 1973, and other applicable laws 

7 that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of rare 

8 felids and rare canids or regulate the use and man9 agement of rare felid and rare canid habitat; 

10 (4) develop sound scientific information on, or 

11 methods for monitoring— 

12 (A) the condition and health of rare felid or 

13 rare canid habitat; 

14 (B) rare felid or rare canid population 

15 numbers and trends; and 

16 (C) the ecological characteristics and re17 quirements of populations of rare felids or rare 

18 canids for which there are little or no data; 

19 (5) promote cooperative projects among govern20 ment entities, affected local communities, nongovern21 mental organizations, and other persons in the pri22 vate sector; or 

23 (6) funds will not be appropriated for the pur24 chase or lease of lands to be used as suitable habitat 

25 for felids or canids. 


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1 (e) PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY.—In approving project 

2 proposals under this section, the Secretary shall give pref3 erence to conservation projects that are designed to ensure 

4 effective, long-term conservation of rare felids and rare 

5 canids and their habitats. 

6 (f) MATCHING FUNDS.—In determining whether to ap7 prove project proposals under this section, the Secretary 

8 shall give preference to projects for which there exists some 

9 measure of matching funds. 

10 (g) PROJECT REPORTING.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each person that receives as12 sistance under this section for a project shall submit 

13 to the Secretary periodic reports (at such intervals as 

14 the Secretary considers necessary) that include all in15 formation that the Secretary, after consultation with 

16 other appropriate government officials, determines is 

17 necessary to evaluate the progress and success of the 

18 project for the purposes of ensuring positive results, 

19 assessing problems, and fostering improvements. 

20 (2) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Reports 

21 under paragraph (1), and any other documents relat22 ing to projects for which financial assistance is pro23 vided under this Act, shall be made available to the 

24 public. 


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1 (h) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING OR

2 DISPLAY.—Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 

3 (1) may not be used for captive breeding or dis4 play of rare felids and rare canids other than captive 

5 breeding for release into the wild; and 

6 (2) may be used for captive breeding of a species 

7 for release into the wild only if no other conservation 

8 method for the species is biologically feasible. 

9 (i) LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN SPE10 CIES.—Of amounts available for a fiscal year for providing 

11 financial assistance under this section, the Secretary may 

12 not use more than 25 percent to provide assistance for 

13 projects that target rare canid and rare felid species that 

14 are not listed in paragraph (5)(B) or (6)(B), respectively, 

15 of section 4. 

16 (j) ADVISORY GROUP.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—To assist in carrying out this 

18 Act, the Secretary may convene an advisory group 

19 consisting of individuals representing public and pri20 vate organizations actively involved in the conserva21 tion of felids and canids. 

22 (2) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.— 

23 (A) MEETINGS.—The advisory group 

24 shall— 


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1 (i) ensure that each meeting of the ad2 visory group is open to the public; and 

3 (ii) provide, at each meeting, an op4 portunity for interested persons to present 

5 oral or written statements concerning items 

6 on the agenda. 

7 (B) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 

8 to the public timely notice of each meeting of the 

9 advisory group, including the meeting agenda. 

10 (C) MINUTES.—Minutes of each meeting of 

11 the advisory group shall be kept by the Secretary 

12 and shall be made available to the public. 

13 (3) EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL ADVISORY COM14 MITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

15 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the advisory 

16 group. 

17 SEC. 6. GREAT CATS AND RARE CANIDS CONSERVATION 

18 FUND. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in the 

20 Multinational Species Conservation Fund established in 

21 title I of the Department of the Interior and Related Agen22 cies Appropriations Act, 1999 under the heading ‘‘MULTI23 NATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUND’’, a sepa24 rate account to be known as the ‘‘Great Cats and Rare 

25 Canids Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 


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1 (1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 

2 Treasury for deposit into such account under sub3 section (e); 

4 (2) amounts appropriated to such account under 

5 section 7; and 

6 (3) any interest earned on investment of 

7 amounts in the account under subsection (c). 

8 (b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

10 upon request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the 

11 Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec12 retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 

13 as the Secretary determines are necessary to provide 

14 assistance under section 4. 

15 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

16 amounts in the Fund available for each fiscal year, 

17 the Secretary may expend not more than three per18 cent, or up to $100,000, whichever is greater, to pay 

19 the administrative expenses necessary to carry out 

20 this Act. 

21 (c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 

23 shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, in the 

24 judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, required to 

25 meet current withdrawals. Investments may be made 


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1 only in interest-bearing obligations of the United 

2 States. 

3 (2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the pur4 pose of investments under paragraph (1), obligations 

5 may be acquired— 

6 (A) on original issue at the issue price; or 

7 (B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 

8 at the market price. 

9 (3) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac10 quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 

11 the Treasury at the market price. 

12 (4) CREDITS TO FUND.—The interest on, and the 

13 proceeds from the sale or redemption of any obliga14 tions held in the Fund shall be credited to and form 

15 a part of the Fund. 

16 (d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts required to be 

18 transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 

19 transferred at least monthly from the general fund of 

20 the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of estimates 

21 made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

22 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall be 

23 made in amounts subsequently transferred to the ex24 tent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the 

25 amounts required to be transferred. 


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1 (e) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The Sec2 retary may accept and use donations to provide assistance 

3 under section 4, and may make public on the Internet 

4 website and in publications of the Department of the Inte5 rior that the Secretary is authorized to accept and use such 

6 donations. Amounts received by the Secretary in the form 

7 of such donations shall be transferred to the Secretary of 

8 the Treasury for deposit into the Fund. 

9 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OR APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 

11 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to 

12 carry out this Act. 

13 SEC. 8. INELIGIBLE COUNTRIES. 

14 Amounts provided as a grant under this Act may not 

15 be spent on projects in Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan and North 

16 Korea. 


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Union Calendar No. 414 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1464 

[Report No. 110

–657] 

A BILL 

To assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare 

felid and rare canid populations. onstrated expertise in the conservation of rare ulations and projects of persons with demwithin the range of rare felid and rare canid popsources for the conservation programs of nations canids by supporting and providing financial reMAY 19, 2008 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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