I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2494 
To support global anti-poaching efforts, strengthen the capacity of partner 
countries to counter wildlife trafficking, designate major wildlife traf-
ficking countries, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2015 
Mr. ROYCE (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. KEATING, Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. BASS, Mr. CRENSHAW, Ms. MCCOLLUM, and 
Mr. CUELLAR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the 
Judiciary and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To support global anti-poaching efforts, strengthen the ca-
pacity of partner countries to counter wildlife trafficking, 
designate major wildlife trafficking countries, 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 ‘‘Global Anti-Poaching 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Poaching and the illicit trade in endangered 
and threatened wildlife are among the most lucrative 
criminal activities worldwide, worth an estimated $7 
to $10 billion annually. 
(2) Poaching and wildlife trafficking have esca-
lated in scale, sophistication and violence, risking the 
potential extinction of some of the world’s most 
iconic species. 
(3) Wildlife poaching and trafficking threaten 
elephants, rhinoceros, and tigers greatly, but also 
have devastating impact on a number of other spe-
cies, including sharks, great apes, and turtles. 
(4) Researchers conservatively estimate that 
some 22,000 African elephants were poached in 
2012 alone, leaving the current population of ele-
phants around 400,000, down from approximately 
1.3 million in 1979. 
(5) An average of 14 rhinos were killed annu-
ally by poachers in South Africa between 1990 and 
2005, but more than 1,200 rhinos were poached in 
South Africa alone in 2014. 
(6) Fewer than 3,200 tigers remain in the wild 
and these remaining wild tigers are under heavy 
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threat of poaching for their skins, bones and other 
body parts. 
(7) The high demand for rare wildlife products 
has driven prices to historically high levels. 
(8) Much of the demand for wildlife products 
comes from Asia and is fueled by the perceived me-
dicinal value and social status associated with these 
products. 
(9) Reporting indicates that a number of rebel 
groups and terrorist organizations, including Su-
dan’s Janjaweed militia, the Lord’s Resistance 
Army, the Seleka rebel movement in the Central Af-
rican Republic, and Somalia’s al-Shabaab, either 
participate in or draw funding from illicit wildlife 
trafficking networks. 
(10) Analyses suggest the high demand for ille-
gal wildlife products, combined with weak law en-
forcement and security measures and corruption and 
governance failures, has led to the increased involve-
ment of transnational organized crime in wildlife 
trafficking. 
(11) The United Nations Security Council has 
authorized multilateral sanctions against individuals 
and entities supporting armed groups through the il-
licit trade in wildlife, in addition to other natural re-
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sources, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 
the Central African Republic. 
(12) A National Intelligence Council analysis of 
wildlife poaching threats found that certain African 
government officials facilitated the movement of 
wildlife products, and that these governments’ ability 
to reduce poaching and trafficking was hindered by 
corruption and weak rule of law. 
(13) On November 13, 2013, the Secretary of 
State announced the first reward under the 
Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program 
for information leading to the dismantling of the 
Xaysavang Network, a large wildlife trafficking syn-
dicate that is based in Laos and spans Africa and 
Asia. 
(14) On July 1, 2013, the President issued Ex-
ecutive Order 13648 on combating wildlife traf-
ficking, establishing a Presidential Task Force which 
was responsible for producing a national strategy to 
combat wildlife trafficking. 
(15) On February 13, 2014, more than 40 
countries, including the United States, European 
Union, and countries from Africa, Asia, the Middle 
East, and Latin America, participated in the Lon-
don Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade and 
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