AZA, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, has shared that on 24 June, its executive vice president, Craig Hoover, testified in support of H.R. 3538, the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025 before the House Natural Resources Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee.
The Association drafted the bill in collaboration with the chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Zoo & Aquarium Caucus, Representatives Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) and Mike Quigley (IL-05). The bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on 21 May.
Building on a pilot programme along the southwestern US border, the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act seeks to establish a cooperative and coordinated nationwide response for the care and wellbeing of wildlife confiscated from illegal trade at US border crossings and ports of entry.
‘Nonpartisan, common-sense step forward’
The Wildlife Confiscations Network Act, which is endorsed by 75 organisations, will codify all facets of this effective law enforcement initiative and allow the Network to expand across the country.
Hoover says: “I am grateful to Congressmen Garbarino and Quigley for sponsoring the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act legislation and am honored to be invited to testify before the House Natural Resources Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee about this important bill.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intervened in 834 cases of live wildlife interdiction over a recent five-year period. These involved 48,793 individual live animals, with an average of almost 30 per day. Each of these animals required placement and care.
AZA accredited zoos and aquariums are experts in animal wellbeing and are often asked to provide immediate care, housing and rehabilitation for confiscated wildlife.
In October 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the AZA formed a cooperative agreement to better coordinate these activities by establishing a pilot Wildlife Confiscations Network in Southern California. Since then, the Network has helped with more than 135 wildlife trafficking cases and successfully placed 4,600+ animals into quality care.
“Law enforcement officials know that when live wildlife are seized at US ports of entry or exit, it is critical to provide the highest standard of care as quickly as possible, both to ensure the survival of these animals and to maintain their value as evidence in ongoing criminal investigations,” says Hoover.
“The Wildlife Confiscations Network is a structured, collaborative partnership with the AZA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the numerous vetted organizations, sanctuaries, universities and AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums in the Wildlife Confiscations Network.”
The Wildlife Confiscations Network has developed a centralised, optimised and efficient system to identify care and establish placement for wildlife victims of illegal trade.
“This collaborative approach benefits law enforcement by relieving them of the heavy logistical burden of finding care and placement for these animals in critical need and allows law enforcement to focus on their core mission of stopping wildlife trafficking,” says Hoover.
“Supporting the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act is a nonpartisan, common-sense step forward to provide humane care to victimized wildlife, preserve the valuable biodiversity of smuggled threatened and endangered species, and provide crucial support to our law enforcement who strive every day to protect the American public from the dangers of transnational organized crime.”
See also: From accreditation to action: AZA’s impact on the future of conservation
Recently, Katey Leban, conservation coordinator for AZA, spoke about the Sustainability and conservation through AZA SAFE: Coral collaboration at greenloop 2025. Together with Mitch Carl, curator of aquatics at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and Ross Cunning, Ph.D., research biologist at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the panel shared an active example of conservation and sustainability at work.
