I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4826
To assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare canids by supporting 
and providing financial resources for the conservation programs of na-
tions 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 
JULY 13, 2004
Mr. SHAW (for himself, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, and Mr. TANNER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources 
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.
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 2004’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Many wild populations of felids and canids, 
once considered common, are in decline, and many 
have declined to the point that their long-term sur-
vival in the wild is in serious jeopardy. 
(2) Of the 37 wild felid species worldwide, all 
are currently recognized as species in need of protec-
tion under the IUCN Red List, the lists of species 
in CITES appendices I, II, and III, or the Endan-
gered Species Act of 1973. Of the 35 wild canid spe-
cies worldwide, nearly 50 percent are recognized as 
in need of such protection. 
(3) In addition to their intrinsic value, felids 
and canids are important aesthetic, economic, and 
ecological global resources that need to be conserved. 
(4) Large felids and canids are considered both 
umbrella and indicator species. Healthy populations 
of these species act as an important indicator of the 
integrity of entire ecosystems and, because they re-
quire large wild spaces to persist, benefit entire eco-
systems and a large number of other species. Meas-
ures taken to benefit these keystone species will ulti-
mately benefit a great number of other species. 
(5) Rare felids and rare canids face an array of 
threats, including loss of habitat and natural prey,
intentional and unintentional takings by humans, 
disease transmission, and a vast number of other 
threats. These threats need to be addressed in a co-
ordinated fashion. 
(6) Conservation of rare felid and rare canid 
populations requires global commitment. Adequate 
funding for conservation is sorely lacking, and many 
range countries for those species do not have ade-
quate infrastructure to protect species of concern. 
Those countries that do provide assistance to threat-
ened populations need further assistance in imple-
menting effective conservation strategies. 
(7) In particular, in developing nations with 
limited resources, poverty, population growth, and 
habitat loss all present significant challenges to con-
servation of rare felids and rare canids. 
(8) Although some protections and initiatives 
exist to conserve rare felid and rare canid popu-
lations and their habitat, those efforts can be signifi-
cantly strengthened and enhanced by increased co-
ordination and the infusion of targeted funding to 
benefit species of concern. 
SEC. 3. 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. 4. 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; 
(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;