CHER Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 3456 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3456 To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit keeping elephants in captivity at zoological parks or safari parks, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 15, 2025 Ms. Malliotakis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit keeping elephants in captivity at zoological parks or safari parks, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Captivity of Helpless Elephants Reduction Act of 2025'' or the ``CHER Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Elephants live in a matriarchal hierarchy where a lead female leads a large herd in the wild and migrates, traveling hundreds of miles every year. African and Asian elephants have been demonstrated to possess, amongst other things, intentional communication and learning, memory, and categorization abilities. An Emory University experiment showed that a female elephant seemed to recognize herself in a mirror, a result attributed to self-awareness only seen otherwise in humans, dolphins, and chimpanzees. (2) Captivity does not provide for the needs of normal elephant behavior and reproduction. As a result, captive elephants suffer both physical and emotional trauma including hernias, arthritis, mental degradation, and high calf mortality. The average lifespan of a captive elephant is 17 years; in the wild, elephants can live for 50 years or more. (3) It is estimated that the cost of caring for an elephant in captivity can be up to