NRWL / Enforcement

Enforcement Briefs

Laws and treaties already protect animals — the Animal Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, CITES, EU directives, state cruelty statutes. The question is whether they are enforced. These briefs document specific cases, with citations to court records and agency reports. Information without accountability is just paperwork.

Editorial standard: every named defendant is sourced to court documents; every alleged violation uses “charged” / “alleged” / “found by inspector” until adjudicated. We do not publish urgency copy. We do not name individuals without filed charges. Read the Charter for the full editorial floor.

Big Cat Public Safety Act (2022) — Ending the US Cub-Petting and Private-Tiger Industry
Big Cat Public Safety Act (Pub. L. 117-243); amends the Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. § 3371 et seq.) and the Captive Wildlife Safety Act
US Federal
On 20 December 2022, the Big Cat Public Safety Act was signed into U.S. federal law [Pub. L. 117-243]. The Act prohibits private individuals from possessing big cats (lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, and any hybrids) as pets, and — critically — bans public…
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All Eight Pangolin Species Uplisted to CITES Appendix I (2016) — A Decade Later, Trafficking Continues
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Appendix I
International (CITES Parties)
At the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) in Johannesburg in September–October 2016, all eight species of pangolin (the four Asian species — *Manis crassicaudata*, *M. javanica*, *M. pentadactyla*, *M. culionensis* — and the four African species — *Phataginus…
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EU Proposed a Live-Export Regulation Overhaul (2023) — Final Rules Tighten Welfare Standards but Stop Short of a Ban
Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport (and its replacement, proposed in 2023)
European Union
On 7 December 2023, the European Commission published a comprehensive proposal to replace Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. The 2005 regulation had been the subject of decades of welfare-NGO criticism and an extensive series of…
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Lacey Act 2008 Amendments — Extending US Anti-Trafficking Reach to Illegally-Sourced Wood
Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 3371–3378), as amended by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246)
US Federal
The Lacey Act is the United States' oldest wildlife-protection statute, enacted in 1900 to prohibit interstate trafficking of wildlife taken in violation of state law. In May 2008, Congress amended the Act through Section 8204 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act to…
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NOAA Fisheries Observer Coverage Gaps — When Bycatch Goes Uncounted, It Goes Unmanaged
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 1801–1891d); Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 1361–1423h)
US Federal (NOAA / NMFS managed fisheries; extends via U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions)
The U.S. NOAA Fisheries observer programs are the principal mechanism for measuring bycatch — the unintentional capture of non-target marine animals (sea turtles, marine mammals, seabirds, juvenile fish, sharks) in commercial fisheries. Independent observers ride on…
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Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (2022) — A US Federal Ban on the Fin Trade
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2022 (enacted as part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, Pub. L. 117-263); amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
US Federal
In December 2022, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act became U.S. federal law (enacted as a provision of the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act) [Pub. L. 117-263]. The law makes it **illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark…
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USDA Scrubbed Animal-Welfare Inspection Records from Public View — and Has Not Fully Restored Them
Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. §§ 2131–2159), Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552)
US Federal
On 3 February 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) removed thousands of animal-welfare inspection reports, enforcement records, and licensee identification from its public website. The agency cited a "comprehensive…
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Big Cat Public Safety Act (2022) — Ending the US Cub-Petting and Private-Tiger Industry

All Eight Pangolin Species Uplisted to CITES Appendix I (2016) — A Decade Later, Trafficking Continues

EU Proposed a Live-Export Regulation Overhaul (2023) — Final Rules Tighten Welfare Standards but Stop Short of a Ban

Lacey Act 2008 Amendments — Extending US Anti-Trafficking Reach to Illegally-Sourced Wood

NOAA Fisheries Observer Coverage Gaps — When Bycatch Goes Uncounted, It Goes Unmanaged

Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (2022) — A US Federal Ban on the Fin Trade

USDA Scrubbed Animal-Welfare Inspection Records from Public View — and Has Not Fully Restored Them