Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Cats and Rare 
Canids Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to provide financial re-
sources and to foster international cooperation— 
(1) to restore and perpetuate healthy popu-
lations of rare felids and rare canids in the wild; and 
(2) to assist in the conservation of rare felid 
and rare canid populations worldwide. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CITES.—The term ‘‘CITES’’ means the 
Convention on International Trade in Endangered 
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Wash-
ington March 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249), 
including its appendices. 
(2) 
CONSERVATION.—The 
term 
‘‘conserva-
tion’’— 
(A) means the methods and procedures 
necessary to bring a species of rare felid or rare 
canid to the point at which there are sufficient
populations in the wild to ensure the long-term 
viability of the species; and 
(B) includes all activities associated with 
protection and management of a rare felid or 
rare canid population, including— 
(i) maintenance, management, protec-
tion, and restoration of rare felid or rare 
canid habitat; 
(ii) research and monitoring; 
(iii) law enforcement; 
(iv) community outreach and edu-
cation; 
(v) conflict resolution initiatives; and 
(vi) strengthening the capacity of local 
communities, governmental agencies, non-
governmental organizations and other in-
stitutions to implement conservation pro-
grams. 
(3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Great 
Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund estab-
lished by section 5. 
(4) IUCN RED LIST.—The term ‘‘IUCN Red 
List’’ means the Red List of Threatened Species 
Maintained by the World Conservation Union. 
(5) RARE CANID.—The term ‘‘rare canid’’—
(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), means any of the canid species dhole 
(Cuon alpinus), gray wolf (Canis lupus), Ethio-
pian wolf (Canis simensis), bush dog (Speothos 
venaticus), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), 
maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and Dar-
win’s fox, (Pseudalopex fulvipes), including any 
subspecies or population of such a species; and 
(B) does not include any subspecies or 
population that is native to the area comprised 
of the United States and Canada or the Euro-
pean Union. 
(6) RARE FELID.—The term ‘‘rare felid’’— 
(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), means any of the felid species lion 
(Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), jag-
uar (Panthera onca), snow leopard (Uncia 
uncia), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), 
cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Iberian lynx (Lynx 
pardina), and Borneo bay cat (Catopuma 
badia), including any subspecies or population 
of such a species; and 
(B) does not include—
(i) any species, subspecies, or popu-
lation that is native to the United States; 
and 
(ii) any tiger (Panthera tigris). 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 
funds and in consultation with other appropriate Federal 
officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to 
provide financial assistance for projects for the conserva-
tion of rare felid and rare canids for which project pro-
posals are approved by the Secretary in accordance with 
this section. 
(b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a 
project for the conservation of rare felid and canids 
may be submitted to the Secretary by— 
(A) any wildlife management authority of 
a country that has within its boundaries any 
part of the range of a rare felid or rare canid 
species, respectively; and 
(B) any person or group with the dem-
onstrated expertise required for the conserva-
tion in the wild of rare felids or rare canids, re-
spectively. 
(2) PROJECT
PROPOSALS.—To be considered 
for financial assistance for a project under this Act, 
an applicant shall submit a project proposal that in-
cludes— 
(A) a concise statement of the purposes of 
the project; 
(B) the name of the individual responsible 
for conducting the project; 
(C) a description of the qualifications of 
the individuals who will conduct the project; 
(D) a concise description of— 
(i) methods for project implementa-
tion and outcome assessment; 
(ii) staffing for the project; 
(iii) the logistics of the project; and 
(iv) community involvement in the 
project; 
(E) an estimate of funds and time required 
to complete the project; 
(F) evidence of support for the project by 
appropriate governmental entities of the coun-
tries in which the project will be conducted, if
the Secretary determines that such support is 
required for the success of the project; 
(G) information regarding the source and 
amount of matching funding available for the 
project; and 
(H) any other information that the Sec-
retary considers to be necessary for evaluating 
the eligibility of the project for funding under 
this Act. 
(c) PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
(A) not later than 30 days after receiving 
a project proposal, provide a copy of the pro-
posal to the appropriate Federal officials; and 
(B) review each project proposal in a time-
ly manner to determine if the proposal meets 
the criteria specified in subsection (d). 
(2) 
CONSULTATION; 
APPROVAL
OR
DIS-
APPROVAL.—Not later than 180 days after receiving 
a project proposal, and subject to the availability of 
funds, the Secretary, after consulting with other ap-
propriate Federal officials, shall— 
(A) ensure the proposal contains assur-
ances that the project will be implemented in 
consultation with relevant wildlife management
authorities and other appropriate government 
officials with jurisdiction over the resources ad-
dressed by the project; 
(B) approve or disapprove the proposal; 
and 
(C) provide written notification of the ap-
proval or disapproval to the person who sub-
mitted the proposal, other appropriate Federal 
officials, and each country within whose borders 
the project will take place. 
(d) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Secretary may 
approve a project proposal under this section if the project 
will contribute to conservation of rare felids or rare canids 
in the wild by assisting efforts to— 
(1) implement conservation programs; 
(2) address the conflicts between humans and 
rare felids or rare canids, respectively, that arise 
from competition for the same habitat or resources; 
(3) enhance compliance with CITES, the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973, and other applicable 
laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of 
rare felids and rare canids or regulate the use and 
management of rare felid and rare canid habitat; 
(4) develop sound scientific information on, or 
methods for monitoring—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each person that receives 
assistance under this section for a project shall sub-
mit to the Secretary periodic reports (at such inter-
vals as the Secretary considers necessary) that in-
clude all information that the Secretary, after con-
sultation with other appropriate government offi-
cials, determines is necessary to evaluate the 
progress and success of the project for the purposes 
of ensuring positive results, assessing problems, and 
fostering improvements. 
(2) AVAILABILITY
TO
THE
PUBLIC.—Reports 
under paragraph (1), and any other documents re-
lating to projects for which financial assistance is 
provided under this Act, shall be made available to 
the public. 
(h) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING 
OR DISPLAY.—Amounts provided as a grant under this 
Act— 
(1) may not be used for captive breeding or dis-
play of rare felids and rare canids other than captive 
breeding for release into the wild; and 
(2) may be used for captive breeding of a spe-
cies for release into the wild only if no other con-
servation method for the species is biologically fea-
sible.
(i) ADVISORY GROUP.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—To assist in carrying out 
this Act, the Secretary may convene an advisory 
group consisting of individuals representing public 
and private organizations actively involved in the 
conservation of felids and canids. 
(2) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.— 
(A) 
MEETINGS.—The 
advisory 
group 
shall— 
(i) ensure that each meeting of the 
advisory group is open to the public; and 
(ii) provide, at each meeting, an op-
portunity for interested persons to present 
oral or written statements concerning 
items on the agenda. 
(B) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 
to the public timely notice of each meeting of 
the advisory group, including the meeting agen-
da. 
(C) MINUTES.—Minutes of each meeting 
of the advisory group shall be kept by the Sec-
retary and shall be made available to the public. 
(3) EXEMPTION
FROM
FEDERAL
ADVISORY 
COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the advisory 
group. 
SEC. 5. GREAT CATS AND RARE CANIDS CONSERVATION 
FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in the 
Multinational Species Conservation Fund established in 
title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 under the heading 
‘‘MULTINATIONAL 
SPECIES 
CONSERVATION 
FUND’’, a separate account to be known as the ‘‘Great 
Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund’’, consisting 
of— 
(1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 
Treasury for deposit into such account under sub-
section (c); and 
(2) amounts appropriated to such account 
under section 7. 
(b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
upon request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec-
retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 
as the Secretary determines are necessary to provide 
assistance under section 4.
(2) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Of 
the 
amounts in the Fund available for each fiscal year, 
the Secretary may expend not more than three per-
cent, or up to $100,000, whichever is greater, to pay 
the administrative expenses necessary to carry out 
this Act. 
(c) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The 
Secretary may accept and use donations to provide assist-
ance under section 4, and may make public on the Internet 
website and in publications of the Department of the Inte-
rior that the Secretary is authorized to accept and use 
such donations. Amounts received by the Secretary in the 
form of such donations shall be transferred to the Sec-
retary of the Treasury for deposit into the Fund. 
SEC. 6. STUDY OF CONSERVATION STATUS OF FELID AND 
CANID SPECIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall initiate within 
three months after the date of the enactment of this Act 
a study of felid and canid species listed under the IUCN 
Red List that are not rare canids and rare felids (as those 
terms are defined in section 3), respectively, to deter-
mine— 
(1) the conservation status of such species in 
the wild, including identification of any such species 
that are critically endangered or endangered; and
(2) any such species that should be made eligi-
ble for assistance under this Act. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than two years after date of 
the enactment of this Act the Secretary shall report to 
the Congress the determinations made in the study, in-
cluding recommendations of additional felid species and 
canid species that should be made eligible for assistance 
under this Act. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated— 
(1) to the Fund, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this Act, 
other than section 6; and 
(2) such sums as are necessary to carry out 
section 6. 
SEC. 8. INELIGIBLE COUNTRIES. 
Amounts provided as a grant under this Act may not 
be used for any project conducted in Iran, Syria, Cuba, 
Sudan, or North Korea. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 21, 2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 411 
AN ACT 
To assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare 
canids by supporting and providing financial re-
sources for the conservation programs of nations 
within the range of rare felid and rare canid pop-
ulations and projects of persons with dem-
onstrated expertise in the conservation of rare 
felid and rare canid populations.