Lawmakers introduce historic plan to protect animals caught in illegal trade: 'Ensuring ... animals receive the care they need'

A bipartisan pair of Congressmen introduced a bill that would take massive steps toward helping protect animals and further restrict trafficking them.

According to IFAW, Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced the Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025.

The bill addresses a frequently overlooked consequence of trafficking animals. The journey into the United States for illegally trafficked animals is an incredibly harrowing one. At best, they must live in cramped crates for multiple days, often with minimal food or water during that time.

At worst, they are stuffed in boxes by the thousand, crammed into containers, or flown into the country via drone. They are almost universally mistreated and are frequently in need of specialized medical attention. But because these aren't your average pets, they require special vets who understand their anatomy and physiology.

The new bill will streamline and fund the Wildlife Confiscations Network, helping to make sure that any animals seized get the care they need from vets and zoos that specialize in their unique medical needs.

"The Wildlife Confiscations Network has already placed over 4,100 confiscated animals into quality facilities," said Congressman Quigley. "I am proud to introduce legislation that expands this law enforcement network nationwide, ensuring that law enforcement officers are not unduly placed in harm's way, and animals receive the care they need."

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Trafficking remains a massive problem in the United States and abroad.

From 2015 to 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service was confiscating an average of 27 live animals per day, most of which needed specialized care before they could be returned to their homes. New York recently passed laws further restricting and penalizing traffickers, and international law enforcement like INTERPOL has been cracking down on poachers and traffickers more and more.

Advocates hope the new bill will help ensure the safety of the animals recovered in those busts.

"We applaud the introduction of this important legislation, which, once enacted, will help to ensure that confiscated animals — many of whom are imperiled species and are transported in heartbreaking conditions, denied food, water, the ability to move, and more — have the best possible chance of surviving and even thriving in the care of experts," said Danielle Kessler, IFAW's U.S. Country Director.