Federal Bill Removes Snow Leopards from Prohibited Species List, Creates New Registration for Existing Wildlife Owners

The “Protecting Local Zoos Act of 2026” is essentially a policy cleanup crew for the Lacey Act, which regulates the possession of specific, prohibited wild animals. The bill makes several key changes, mostly focused on who can possess these animals and under what conditions.

The New Class B Loophole

First, let’s talk about who gets a pass. The bill expands the existing exemptions from the ban on possessing prohibited wildlife species. Now, any entity holding a Class B license from the Department of Agriculture—provided they are exhibiting the animals—is exempt. This exemption also explicitly covers the owner, executive, or volunteer of the entity, not just the employees. A Class B license typically covers dealers who sell animals to zoos, research facilities, or even pet stores. By tying the exemption to exhibiting the animals, the bill seems aimed at smaller, private exhibitors who might not meet the traditional definition of a large, accredited zoo. The concern here is that expanding this exemption might open the door for entities that are less rigorous than established zoos to possess animals that were previously deemed too dangerous or sensitive for widespread possession, potentially increasing risk for the public and the animals.

The Grandfathered Collection Cleanup

For people who currently own prohibited animals but don’t qualify for a standard exemption (like a zoo or sanctuary), the bill offers a new, limited lifeline. It creates a voluntary registration pathway with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The catch is that if you register your animals, you are essentially agreeing to put a hard stop on your collection. Specifically, you must promise not to breed, acquire, or sell any prohibited wildlife species after the registration date. Furthermore, you can’t exhibit them to the public, nor can you allow any direct public contact. This provision (SEC. 2) is a classic regulatory compromise: it allows current owners to keep their animals legally, but it ensures those animals are the end of the line for that collection. It’s an administrative way to phase out private ownership without immediate confiscation.

The Snow Leopard Exemption and Regulatory Headaches

Perhaps the most straightforward change is the removal of the snow leopard and the clouded leopard (and their hybrids) from the legal definition of a “prohibited wildlife species.” This means federal restrictions under this specific law no longer apply to these two species. If you happen to own one, you’re off the hook for this particular regulation. While this simplifies things for current owners, it’s a big deal from a conservation standpoint, as it removes a layer of federal protection for these vulnerable species.

Finally, the bill creates a bureaucratic escape hatch for people who registered their animals under the new system but later realize they actually qualified for a standard exemption all along (maybe they were a legitimate sanctuary but didn't realize it). They can apply to the Secretary of the Interior to cancel their registration. The Secretary must grant the cancellation if the applicant provides “sufficient evidence” of their initial qualification. The bill doesn't define what “sufficient evidence” means, which hands a lot of administrative discretion to the Secretary and could lead to delays or inconsistent rulings for people trying to clean up their paperwork.