PAW Against Trafficking Act

Protecting All Wildlife Against Trafficking Act or the PAW Against Trafficking Act

This bill sets forth requirements to provide warnings to travelers about wildlife trafficking (e.g., poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife) in foreign countries and reestablishes the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking.

Specifically, the bill makes permanent the requirement for the Department of State to identify certain countries that are major sources, transit points, or consumers of wildlife trafficking products. Additionally, the State Department, on any State Department website or web-based application providing country-specific information for international travel, must ensure that such countries are clearly identified with a warning label along with a warning that international law or U.S. law may prohibit the export, import, purchase, sale, possession, or transport of products produced from endangered or threatened wildlife.

In addition, the bill revises the duties of the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking. Among other duties, the task force must assess how consumption of illegally tracked wildlife in the United States may be driving illegal wildlife trafficking in such countries. The task force must also identify potential strategies to reduce domestic consumption of illegally trafficked wildlife products.