Senate committee approves Buchanan’s bill to fight wildlife traffickers

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently approved a bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) that would help end wildlife trafficking.

“I was pleased to see this important measure take another critical step forward and urge Senate leaders to pass my bill and send it to the president’s desk for his signature,” said Rep. Buchanan, who is co-chair of the Animal Protection Caucus.

The congressman in January introduced the Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act of 2019, H.R. 97, with cosponsors U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Dina Titus (D-NV) to authorize rewards to individuals who furnish information that assists in the prevention or identification of crimes related to wildlife trafficking, according to the congressional record.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave approval to H.R. 97, which the committee reconciled with the identical S. 1590. The U.S. Senate bill already has been placed on the U.S. Senate’s legislative calendar for action.

If enacted, the measure would add wildlife trafficking to the list of criminal activities that the U.S. State Department could target with financial rewards for whistleblowers.

“Wildlife trafficking is a nefarious and persistent threat to endangered animals across the world,” Rep. Buchanan said. “The RAWR Act provides another tool to crack down on the billions of dollars generated by this illegal activity.”

The lawmaker cited information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reporting that thousands of wildlife species are threatened by trafficking, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions and other animals that are targeted by poachers.

“It is imperative that we get this bill to the president’s desk as soon as possible,” said Rep. Buchanan. “Terrorist groups rely on funding derived from this illicit industry. We need to do all we can to discourage this type of criminal activity.”