Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007  

Bill Numbers :  H.R. 1464 – Rep. Udall (D-NM), Rep. Tanner (D-TN),
Rep. Royce (R-CA), & Rep. Rogers (R-KY), Sen. 1033 – Sen. Lieberman (I-CT) & Sen. Brownback (R-KS)

Position: Support

The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007, H.R. 1464 and S. 1033, would authorize the Multinational Species Conservation Fund to support conservation of a new set of foreign species – see attached species breakdown. This bill would establish within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund a separate account to be known as the “Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund” that would provide financial resources for conservation programs benefiting rare felid and canid populations in nations outside of North America.

Talking Points:

• The bill identifies seven great cats (jaguar, cheetah, lion, leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard and Iberian lynx), and six rare canids (African wild dog, dhole, bush dog, and three wolf species) that are regulated by the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), or are found on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.
  • Tigers are the subject of an earlier law and are the only great cats currently receiving support through the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.
• 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 require large wild spaces to persist, benefit entire ecosystems and a large number of other species. Measures taken to benefit these keystone species will ultimately benefit a great number of other species.
• The SCI Foundation has active conservation programs on several of the great cats, dealing with a variety of threats that affect these species today, including habitat loss and degradation, conflict with humans, poaching, and disease.
• Adequate funding is sorely lacking in many countries that do not have adequate infrastructure to protect these species. The Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund would help by providing some funding.
  • This law would appropriate $5,000,000 for each fiscal year 2008 through 2012.
  • Multinational Species Funds have enjoyed tremendous successes. On average, every US government dollar contributed to wildlife conservation programs from the Funds has been matched 3 to 1 by private donations.

Co-Sponsors as of 5-5-07

2007 Senate Co-Sponsors                       
Sen. Brownback (R-KS)
Sen. Boxer (D-CA)
Sen. Lieberman (I-CT)

2007 House Co-Sponsors
Rep. Bordallo (D-GU)
Rep. Chandler (D-KY)
Rep. Clay (D-MO)
Rep. Cohen (D-TN)
Rep. Delahunt (D-MA)
Rep. DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. English (R-PA)
Rep. Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Farr (D-CA)
Rep. Frank (D-MA)
Rep. Grijalva (D-AZ)
Rep. Higgins (D-NY)
Rep. Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Hirono (D-HI)
Rep. Inslee (D-WA)
Rep. Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Levin (D-MI)
Rep. Maloney (D-NY)
Rep. McCollum (D-MN)
Rep. McNulty (D-NY)
Rep. G. Miller (D-CA)
Rep. G. Moore (D-WI)
Rep. Payne (D-NJ)
Rep. Rogers (R-KY)
Rep. Rothman (D-NJ)
Rep. Royce (R-CA)
Rep. Schakowsky (D-IL)
Rep. Stark (D-CA)
Rep. Tanner (D-TN)
Rep. Tauscher (D-CA)
Rep. Udall (D-CO)