[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 995 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 995

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain interstate 
                  conduct relating to exotic animals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 8, 1997

 Mr. Lautenberg (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
  Moynihan, Mr. Torricelli, and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain interstate 
                  conduct relating to exotic animals.

    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 ``Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act 
of 1997''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPORT OR POSSESSION OF EXOTIC ANIMALS FOR PURPOSES OF 
              KILLING OR INJURING THEM.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 48. Exotic animals
    ``(a) Prohibition.--Whoever, in or affecting interstate or foreign 
commerce, knowingly transfers, transports, or possesses a confined 
exotic animal, for the purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of 
that animal for entertainment or for the collection of a trophy, shall 
be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `confined exotic animal' means a mammal of a 
        species not historically indigenous to the United States, that 
        has been held in captivity for the shorter of--
                    ``(A) the greater part of the life of the animal; 
                or
                    ``(B) a period of 1 year;
        whether or not the defendant knew the length of the captivity; 
        and
            ``(2) the term `captivity' does not include any period 
        during which an animal--
                    ``(A) lives as it would in the wild, surviving 
                primarily by foraging for naturally occurring food, 
                roaming at will over an open area of not less than 
                1,000 acres; and
                    ``(B) has the opportunity to avoid hunters.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 3 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``48. Exotic animals.''.
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