- Federal Bill Alert: Global Wildlife Health and Pandemic Prevention Act

While the discussion draft of this bill is not alarming for herpetoculture and most other animal interest groups, it is important to keep note of the many bills that will be coming (at all levels of government). With these bills, we will see proposals for banning or heavily restricting a wide array of aspects of animals in our lives. Each bill will need to be scrutinized to be certain it follows its stated purpose. As we already know, many proposals will be costumed efforts to advance the animal rights agenda of removing animals from our lives rather than implementing sensical regulations.

Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons and South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced this legislation with the stated purpose of closing high-risk wildlife markets and preventing wildlife disease transmission globally.

One part of analyzing these bills is reviewing the definitions. The recurring language we will need to watch closely is "animal market" and similar terms. This Act defines ‘high risk wildlife market’’ as: any commercial market that sells or processes wildlife for human consumption, whether the animals originated in the wild or in a captive situation.

The definition is important as it only encompasses markets where animals are sold for human consumption (food). In addition to meeting that definition, the high risk wildlife market must also have:

1. species of wildlife or regulation that is determined to be a risk factor for zoonotic disease or is linked with the global illegal trade in wildlife; or

2. a manner of processing the wildlife that is determined to be a risk factor for zoonotic disease.

One section of the Act allows the U.S. to prohibit the import of any products from an offending country that fails to enforce relevant laws and regulations. So, if the U.S. government finds that a country is harboring high risk wildlife markets, then the Act allows for a ban on imports from that country. and even certain human travel.

This Act would be a multi-national, global effort to eradicate what are determined to be high risk wildlife markets. While most Americans may not see big issues with this effort, understanding the wildlife markets of other countries is not something most U.S. citizens can comprehend. U.S. citizens are afforded many luxuries unheard of in certain developing countries. This Act certainly would be tough to implement across the globe. Read the bill details HERE.