Should the State Department Offer Rewards to Combat Global Wildlife Trafficking?

What’s the story?

• The federal government would offer rewards to people who provide information against illegal wildlife trafficking and poaching, if the Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act were to become law.
• Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Senate version of the RAWR Act, which was re-introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

What would the RAWR Act do?

• The State Department — which already offers rewards in exchange for information that helps deter transnational organized crime — would now be able to offer cash rewards in exchange for information about wildlife trafficking, such as poaching and illegal trade in wildlife.

What are people saying?

Supporters

• “Wildlife trafficking is a transnational crime that requires a coordinated and sustained global effort to effectively combat it,” Collins said. “In order to build upon ongoing efforts to deter this illegal activity that harms animals and threatens conservation efforts, this bipartisan bill would allow the State Department to offer rewards for information regarding wildlife traffickers.”
• “Wildlife trafficking is an epidemic that threatens extinction for iconic species including elephants, rhinos, and tigers,” said Kate Wall, Senior Legislative Manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“As the fourth most lucrative illegal enterprise worldwide, it also contributes to global corruption and instability. IFAW applauds Sens. Merkley and Collins for their leadership of the RAWR Act, which would aid law enforcement in identifying and apprehending criminal wildlife trafficking networks.”

Critics

• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) agrees that offering financial rewards to combat illegal wildlife trafficking is effective and merits expansion, but pushes back on the notion that the State Department should pay and administer such rewards.
• Instead, the GAO suggested in an April 2018 report that the Departments of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should pay rewards for information on wildlife trafficking.

What do you think?

Do you support the RAWR Act? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStock / SPmemory)