World Wildlife Fund

Great Progress for Bill to Protect Wild Cats and Canids

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Jaguar © Michael GUNTHER / WWF-Canon

The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act, a bill to protect imperiled species such as lions, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, Ethiopian wolves and African wild dogs, made tremendous progress in 2008. The House of Representatives passed the bill (H.R. 1464) by a vote of 294-119 on May 20, 2008. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved it on September 17, 2008, by unanimous voice vote.

WWF activists have been speaking out in support of this legislation for several years, sending tens of thousands of letters to Congress. Thank you!

Wild Cats and Canids at Risk

Wild cats and canids may be fierce and powerful, but they are also extremely vulnerable.  Worldwide, they face serious threats from illegal hunting, habitat loss, disease, and many other factors. At current rates of loss, many of the world's species of wild cats could become extinct in the next 25 years. Wild canines are declining just as quickly.

How the Bill Would Help

The bill is modeled on highly successful conservation programs for elephants, rhinos, tigers, great apes, sea turtles and neotropical migratory birds. It would establish a “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. Grants would be distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to governments, organizations, and individuals working to conserve the targeted species in the countries where the species live. The grant recipients would be required to make cash or in-kind contributions to the project.  

Examples of the types of projects likely to be funded include conducting surveys, monitoring species populations, anti-poaching measures, public awareness campaigns, resolving human-species conflict, habitat protection, conservation capacity building, and applied research (genetics, behavioral ecology). The projects would likely have a local or regional scope and would include diverse local and international partners.

Adequate funding is sorely lacking in many countries that do not have adequate infrastructure to protect species of concern, and those that do provide assistance to threatened populations need further help in implementing effective conservation strategies.

Learn More

Read our Great Cats and Rare Canids fact sheet 2008.

Read the testimony of WWF's Chief Scientist, Dr. Eric Dinerstein, at the hearing held by the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans of the House Committee on Natural Resources. 

Learn more about the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act on the Library of Congress website.

Read our press release about House passage of the bill.

See how every member of the House voted on the bill.

Past alerts
Your Senator to Vote on Wild Cat Conservation - 9/2/2008
Your Representative Will Vote Tomorrow on Wild Cat Conservation - 4/29/2008
Help Lions, Snow Leopards, and More - 6/1/2007
Help Lions, Snow Leopards, and More - 11/28/2005