H.R. 3456, AKA the CHER Act: Elephant Captivity Ban

Bill HR-3456, CHER Act: Elephant Captivity Ban. The bill would end elephant captivity at zoos and safari parks and require transfers to authorized wildlife sanctuaries. It was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. as of May 15, 2025. Sponsored by Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (R., NY) and Suzan DelBene (D., WA).  

Here is the link to the text of H.R. 3456: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr3456/text 

Massachusetts' Representative James McGovern sits on the House Committee on Agriculture. We are asking him to sign onto the bill as a cosponsor.

Summary:
The CHER Act would amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit zoos and safari parks from exhibiting, housing, managing, or breeding African and Asian elephants starting one year after enactment. Facilities with elephants would have up to three years after enactment to transfer them to authorized wildlife sanctuaries. The Agriculture Secretary would study whether transfers are feasible, may create grants to help sanctuaries care for the elephants, and must prepare public education materials.

What it means for the public:
If enacted, visitors would no longer see African or Asian elephants at zoos or safari parks covered by the bill after the ban begins. The bill defines zoological parks to include zoos and aquariums. It does not describe changes for other kinds of facilities.

Expenses/Costs of relocation of elephants to sanctuary:
The bill does not specify total costs or grant amounts. It requires a study that considers transfer costs and allows, but does not require, a grant program to support sanctuaries.

Proponents' View:
The bill states that its purpose is to end elephant display, care, and breeding at zoos and safari parks and move existing elephants to authorized sanctuaries. Its findings cite grave concerns about elephant welfare in captivity.

Opponents' View:
No publicly available information.

To Representative McGovern:

Please cosponsor this important bill. Elephant experts around the world agree that elephants, as hugely sentient, intelligent, and social beings, require many acres of land in which to forage for food and water. Wild elephants explore and engage with their environments in ways that enrich their lives mentally, emotionally, and physically, experiences denied all captive elephants. Housing them in small, manmade habitats or in temporary exhibits strips them of all the elements of daily life that elephants need to thrive. Wild elephants traverse miles of diverse and expansive environments every day, exercise that keeps their legs and feet healthy and their minds alert and enriched. Captive elephants' lives in their restrictive habitats offer little in the way of diversion or diversity that elephants, as the most intelligent of animal species, after humans, require to maintain their sanity. We must stop thinking of elephants as commodities whose worth is measured only in terms of how much entertainment they provide. There is nothing educational in seeing animals caged, bereft of all their natural spaces and resources, totally reliant on human handlers for all their needs. Please support this legislation, which reflects the realization amongst a growing number of zoos and the general public that elephants do not belong in captivity, and attempts to stop the relentless, Groundhog Day, of heartbreaking tedium and deprivation captive elephants all over the US (and worldwide) endure for our pleasure. Your support can help end this exploitation now. Thank you. 

Contact Representative James McGovern at:  james.mcgovern@mail.house.gov or via his website:  https://mcgovern.house.gov/