Cold-blooded Animal Research and Exhibition Act
The Cold-blooded Animal Research and Exhibition Act would amend the Animal Welfare Act to explicitly include cold-blooded species (reptiles, amphibians, cephalopods, and fish) as “animals” under federal welfare protections. The Act would also allow the Secretary to add other species as covered if they are used for research, testing, experimentation, exhibition, or kept as pets. While this expands coverage to a broad set of cold-blooded animals, the bill preserves several exemptions (birds, rats and mice bred for research, horses not used for research, and certain farmed animals used for food, fiber, or production). In effect, the bill would extend welfare protections to cold-blooded species in many regulated contexts, subject to future rulemaking and existing exemptions.
Key Points
- 1The term “animal” would include cold-blooded animals such as reptiles, amphibians, cephalopods, and fish, expanding the current scope of the Animal Welfare Act.
- 2The Secretary could determine additional species to be covered if they are used or intended for research, testing, experimentation, exhibition, or as pets.
- 3The bill retains exemptions for birds, rats and mice bred for research, horses not used for research, and certain farmed animals used for food, fiber, or agricultural efficiency.
- 4For dogs, the definition would cover all dogs, including those used for hunting, security, or breeding.
- 5The act would be cited as the “Cold-blooded Animal Research and Exhibition Act.”