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Witnesses urge Congress to codify and expand wildlife confiscations network to aid law enforcement
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Summary
The subcommittee heard that HR 3538, the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act, would formalize a pilot that links law enforcement with vetted facilities to care for seized live wildlife. Proponents said the program reduces burdens on officers, improves animal welfare, and helps combat trafficking that funds transnational crime.
Witnesses told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 26 that HR 3538, the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act, would transform a Southern California pilot into a national, congressionally authorized network to place and care for confiscated live wildlife.
AZA Executive Vice President Craig Hoover described a pilot with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that has helped place more than 4,600 animals in long‑term care and assisted over 135 trafficking cases. "The network increases support for law enforcement by providing a single point of contact and coordinated system to ensure the care and welfare of confiscated live wildlife," Hoover said.
The nut graf: witnesses and members framed the bill as a practical response to rising live‑animal interdictions at ports and borders that create logistical and welfare challenges for law enforcement. The Service testified it supports the goals of HR 3538 but raised concerns that some draft provisions could constrain officers' ability to place animals quickly and safely.
Dave Michael of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service described enforcement pressures: over the last six years the Service reported nearly 1,200 cases involving about 73,000 live animals, including thousands intercepted at ports and borders. He said the Service lacks capacity to permanently care for seized animals and relies on partner facilities.
Members pressed about the universe of qualified facilities. Michael said the agency works with a range of organizations and called for flexibility so officers can place animals quickly. Hoover noted the pilot network includes zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, universities and wildlife rehabilitation facilities — and that more than a third of current partners are not AZA‑accredited. He and other witnesses warned that without a coordinated network law enforcement faces difficult options, including euthanasia, returning animals to the country of export, or attempting to care for animals themselves.
Committee members and witnesses also discussed public‑health and national‑security risks tied to wildlife trafficking, including zoonotic disease risk and links between wildlife trafficking and other illicit activity. Hoover gave specific cost examples for long‑term care, saying lifetime care for a tiger cub is estimated at about $1.2 million and for a black‑handed spider monkey about $1.1 million, and urged federal support to sustain placements.
Background and next steps: witnesses requested authorization and operational funding to scale the network nationally; the Service said it would work with the sponsor to refine language to preserve officers' placement authority.
