I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3456 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit keeping elephants in captivity 
at zoological parks or safari parks, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2025 
Ms. MALLIOTAKIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit keeping ele-
phants in captivity at zoological parks or safari parks, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Captivity of Helpless 
Elephants Reduction Act of 2025’’ or the ‘‘CHER Act of 
2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Elephants live in a matriarchal hierarchy 
where a lead female leads a large herd in the wild 
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and migrates, traveling hundreds of miles every 
year. African and Asian elephants have been dem-
onstrated to possess, amongst other things, inten-
tional communication and learning, memory, and 
categorization abilities. An Emory University experi-
ment showed that a female elephant seemed to rec-
ognize herself in a mirror, a result attributed to self- 
awareness only seen otherwise in humans, dolphins, 
and chimpanzees. 
(2) Captivity does not provide for the needs of 
normal elephant behavior and reproduction. As a re-
sult, captive elephants suffer both physical and emo-
tional trauma including hernias, arthritis, mental 
degradation, and high calf mortality. The average 
lifespan of a captive elephant is 17 years; in the 
wild, elephants can live for 50 years or more. 
(3) It is estimated that the cost of caring for 
an elephant in captivity can be up to $100,000 per 
year. In 2004, the Detroit Zoo became the first 
major American zoo to shut down its elephant ex-
hibit on ethical grounds. In 2006, the Bronx Zoo an-
nounced that it would close its exhibit once its three 
elephants died. Since the early 1990s, more than 22 
zoos have shut down their elephant exhibits or an-
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nounced that they were phasing them out, including 
those in Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago. 
(4) The United Kingdom phased out all cir-
cuses featuring wild animal performances by 2020 
and announced its intention to ban the captivity of 
elephants in zoos and safari parks. Dozens of other 
countries around the world have similar prohibitions, 
including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and 
Singapore. India bans the keeping of elephants in 
circuses and zoos. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to ban the 
display, husbandry, and breeding of African elephants and 
Asian elephants in zoological parks and safari parks in 
the United States and transfer existing African elephants 
and Asian elephants in zoological parks and safari parks 
to authorized wildlife sanctuaries. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON ELEPHANT CAPTIVITY. 
The Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 30. PROHIBITION ON ELEPHANT CAPTIVITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An exhibitor that is a safari park 
or zoological park may not exhibit, house, manage, or 
breed an African elephant or an Asian elephant after the 
date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
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section, except to complete a transfer of an African ele-
phant or an Asian elephant pursuant to subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) TRANSFER TO AUTHORIZED WILDLIFE SANC-
TUARIES.—The Secretary shall require each exhibitor that 
is a safari park or zoological park that exhibits, houses, 
manages, or breeds an African elephant or an Asian ele-
phant as of the date of the enactment of this section to 
transfer such African elephant or Asian elephant to an 
authorized wildlife sanctuary not later than 3 years after 
the date of the enactment of this section. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) AFRICAN ELEPHANT.—The term ‘African 
elephant’ has the meaning given the term in section 
2305 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 
U.S.C. 4244). 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED WILDLIFE SANCTUARY.—The 
term ‘authorized wildlife sanctuary’ means a non-
profit facility that— 
‘‘(A) is accredited by the Global Federa-
tion of Animal Sanctuaries or a similar body; 
‘‘(B) is dedicated to the lifelong care of 
elephants; 
‘‘(C) does not— 
‘‘(i) breed animals; 
‘‘(ii) exhibit animals for profit; or 
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‘‘(iii) use animals for public entertain-
ment; and 
‘‘(D) meets the standards promulgated 
under this Act for— 
‘‘(i) space; 
‘‘(ii) veterinary care; and 
‘‘(iii) naturalistic environments. 
‘‘(3) SAFARI
PARK.—The term ‘safari park’ 
means a facility, whether publicly or privately 
owned, that— 
‘‘(A) houses animals in large enclosures for 
public viewing; and 
‘‘(B) allows visitors to drive through or ob-
serve animals in a simulated natural environ-
ment. 
‘‘(4) ZOOLOGICAL PARK.—The term ‘zoological 
park’— 
‘‘(A) means a facility, whether publicly or 
privately owned, that exhibits live animals to 
the public for educational or entertainment pur-
poses; and 
‘‘(B) includes zoos and aquariums.’’. 
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT. 
(a) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
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shall conduct a study to assess the feasibility of transfer-
ring African elephants and Asian elephants to authorized 
wildlife sanctuaries, including capacity, costs, and logis-
tics. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary may establish 
a grant program to support the accommodation by author-
ized wildlife sanctuaries of African elephants and Asian 
elephants transferred to such authorized wildlife sanc-
tuaries pursuant to section 30 of the Animal Welfare Act 
(as added by this Act). 
(c) PUBLIC EDUCATION.—The Secretary shall de-
velop materials to educate the public about the welfare 
benefits of prohibiting the captivity of African elephants 
and Asian elephants. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AFRICAN ELEPHANT.—The term ‘‘African 
elephant’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
2305 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 
U.S.C. 4244). 
(2) AUTHORIZED WILDLIFE SANCTUARY.—The 
term ‘‘authorized wildlife sanctuary’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 30 of the Animal Wel-
fare Act (as added by this Act). 
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(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
Æ 
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