Bill Summary
The Captivity of Helpless Elephants Reduction Act, also known as the CHER Act, is a bill that aims to amend the African Elephant Conservation Act and Asian Elephant Conservation Act in order to ban the keeping of elephants in captivity at zoological parks. The bill recognizes that elephants are intelligent and social animals that require a large amount of space and a matriarchal hierarchy to thrive. When kept in captivity, they are unable to engage in their natural behaviors and often suffer from physical and emotional trauma. This bill seeks to transfer existing elephants in zoos to authorized wildlife sanctuaries and prohibit the display, husbandry, and breeding of both African and Asian elephants in zoological parks in the United States. This legislation is similar to bans on wild animal performances in other countries and aims to increase the viability of elephant conservation through relocation to more suitable habitats.
Possible Impacts
1) The legislation could affect zookeepers who work at zoos with elephants, as they would no longer be able to keep or care for the elephants in captivity. This could impact their job duties and potentially lead to job loss.
2) The legislation could affect the economy of towns or cities that have zoos with elephants, as the closure of the elephant exhibits could result in a decrease in tourism and revenue for local businesses.
3) The legislation could affect conservation efforts for African and Asian elephants, as the ban on keeping them in captivity could impact breeding and research programs that take place in zoos. This could potentially hinder efforts to preserve and protect these species.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10049 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10049
To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act and Asian Elephant
Conservation Act to ban keeping elephants in captivity at zoological
parks.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 25, 2024
Ms. Malliotakis introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act and Asian Elephant
Conservation Act to ban keeping elephants in captivity at zoological
parks.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Captivity of Helpless Elephants
Reduction Act of 2024'' or the ``CHER Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Elephants live in a matriarchal hierarchy where a lead
female leads a large herd in the wild and migrates, traveling
hundreds of miles every year. African and Asian elephants have
been demonstrated to possess, amongst other things, intentional
communication, and learning, memory, and categorization
abilities. An Emory University experiment showed that a female
elephant seemed to recognize herself in a mirror, a result
attributed to self-awareness only seen otherwise in humans,
dolphins, and chimpanzees.
(2) Captivity does not provide for the needs of normal
elephant behavior and reproduction. As a result, captive
elephants suffer both physical and emotional trauma including
hernias, arthritis, mental degradation, and high calf
mortality. The average lifespan of a captive elephant is 17
years; in the wild, elephants can live for 50 years or more.
(3) It is estimated that the cost of caring for an elephant
in captivity can be up to $100,000 per year. In 2004, the
Detroit Zoo became the first major American zoo to shut down
its elephant exhibit on ethical grounds. In 2006, the Bronx Zoo
announced that it would close its exhibit once its three
elephants died. Since the early 1990s, more than 22 zoos had
shut down their elephant exhibits or announced that they were
phasing them out, including those in Seattle, San Francisco,
and Chicago.
(4) The United Kingdom phased out all circuses featuring
wild animal performances by 2020 and announced its intention to
ban the captivity of elephants in zoos and safari parks. Dozens
of other countries around the world have similar prohibitions,
including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and Singapore.
India bans the keeping of elephants in circuses and zoos.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are the following:
(1) To ban the display, husbandry, and breeding of African
elephants in zoological parks in the United States and transfer
existing African elephants in such parks to authorized
sanctuaries.
(2) To ban the display, husbandry, and breeding of Asian
elephants in zoological parks in the United States and transfer
existing Asian elephants in such parks to authorized
sanctuaries.
SEC. 4. INCREASING VIABILITY OF SPECIES CONSERVATION THROUGH
RELOCATION.
(a) Section 4223 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16
U.S.C. 4201-4246) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(6) to house and/or manage African elephants in
zoological and safari parks. All African elephants residing in
zoological and safari parks before the enactment of this
amendment shall be transferred to authorized wildlife
sanctuaries.''.
(b) Section 4262 of the Asian Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C.
4261-4266) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) To assist in the conservation of Asian elephants by
prohibiting zoological and safari parks from housing and
managing Asian elephants and transferring any rhinoceros
species residing in zoological and safari parks before the
enactment of this amendment to authorized wildlife
sanctuaries.''.
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