The North American Elk Breeders Association, founded in 1990 with 300 members, had grown to 1,400 members with 90,000 farmed elk by 1997. The number of llamas in the US was reported at over 123,000 in 1999, up from 53,000 in 1992. Regulations regarding captive wildlife vary by state. Concern about disease transmission from captive wildlife to traditional livestock or to free-ranging wildlife has led 4 states to prohibit all new deer and elk farms, and an additional 14 states to restrict the farming of Cervidae to certain species, e.g, fallow deer only. Minnesota and Oregon have enacted legislation banning the hunting of deer, elk, or exotic game on commercial shooting preserves, thereby shutting off markets for deer and elk ranchers.
Captive wildlife are also present in zoos and other animal exhibits.
The total number of exhibitors in the US decreased marginally from 2,268 in 1994 to 2,249 in 1999. Florida and California have the most animal exhibitors, with over 200 each. Since the early 1900 s, increasing federal interest in wildlife conservation has resulted in large tracts of land being returned to a condition suitable for maintaining free-ranging wildlife. The National Wildlife Refuge System, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was made up of 514 refuges in 1998, encompassing 93 million acres. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 remains the most important regulation protecting endangered and threatened species worldwide.