Great Cat and Rare Canid Act Moves Forward

A hopeful step forward for clouded leopard conservation took place on September 17 when the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously voted to pass the Great Cat and Rare Canid Act. This act would provide funding for conservation efforts on behalf of a variety of wild cat and wild dog species around the world. Clouded leopards and Borneo bay cats are the Southeast Asian felids specifically targeted for receiving resources under this legislation so there is exciting potential for funding new projects if passage occurs. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 20 and will be moving to the full Senate for a vote. Because of a change made to the bill, if it passes in the Senate it will return to the House for another vote. This highly anticipated legislation was originally introduced in the fall of 2006 and was modeled on other legislation already supporting the conservation of tigers, rhinos, great apes, elephants, and sea turtles. You can read the full text of the bill here.