text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 
  2008''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
  
      (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
              (1) The ethic of hunting involves the consideration of fair 
          chase, which allows the animal the opportunity to avoid the 
          hunter.
              (2) At more than 1,000 commercial canned hunt operations 
          across the country, trophy hunters pay a fee to shoot captive 
          exotic animals, from African lions to giraffes and blackbuck 
          antelope, in fenced-in enclosures.
              (3) Clustered in a captive setting at unusually high 
          densities, confined exotic animals attract disease more readily 
          than more widely dispersed native species who roam freely.
              (4) The transportation of captive exotic animals to 
          commercial canned hunt operations can facilitate the spread of 
          disease across great distances.
              (5) The regulation of the transport and treatment of exotic 
          animals on shooting preserves falls outside the traditional 
          domains of State agriculture departments and State fish and 
          game agencies.
      (b) Purposes.--This Act--
              (1) is limited in its purpose and will not limit the 
          licensed hunting of any native mammals or any native or exotic 
          birds;
              (2) does not aim to criticize those hunters who pursue 
          animals that are not enclosed within a fence; and
              (3) does not attempt to prohibit slaughterhouse activities, 
          nor does it aim to prohibit the routine euthanasia of 
          domesticated farm animals.
  
  SEC. 3. TRANSPORT OR POSSESSION OF EXOTIC ANIMALS FOR PURPOSES OF 
                KILLING OR INJURING THEM.
  
      (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
  amended by adding at the end the following:
  ``Sec. 50. Exotic animals
      ``(a) Prohibition.--
              ``(1) In general.--Whoever, in or substantially affecting 
          interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly transfers, 
          transports, or possesses a confined exotic animal, for the 
          purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for 
          entertainment or for the collection of a trophy, shall be fined 
          under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
              ``(2) Exception.--This section shall not apply to the 
          killing or injuring of an exotic animal in a State or Federal 
          natural area reserve undertaking habitat restoration.
      ``(b) Definitions.--In this section--
              ``(1) the term `confined exotic animal' means a mammal of a 
          species not historically indigenous to the United States, that 
          has been held in captivity, whether or not the defendant knows 
          the length of the captivity, for the shorter of--
                      ``(A) the majority of the animal's life; or
                      ``(B) a period of 1 year; and
              ``(2) the term `captivity' does not include any period 
          during which an animal lives as it would in the wild--
                      ``(A) surviving primarily by foraging for naturally 
                  occurring food;
                      ``(B) roaming at will over an open area of not less 
                  than 1,000 acres; and
                      ``(C) having the opportunity to avoid hunters.
      ``(c) Enforcement.--
              ``(1) In general.--Any person authorized by the Secretary 
          of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
          States Fish and Wildlife Service, may--
                      ``(A) without a warrant, arrest any person that 
                  violates this section (including regulations 
                  promulgated under this section) in the presence or view 
                  of the arresting person;
                      ``(B) execute any warrant or other process issued 
                  by an officer or court of competent jurisdiction to 
                  enforce this section; and
                      ``(C) with a search warrant, search for and seize 
                  any animal taken or possessed in violation of this 
                  section.
              ``(2) Forfeiture.--Any animal seized with or without a 
          search warrant shall be held by the Secretary or by a United 
          States marshal, and upon conviction of the defendant, shall be 
          forfeited to the United States and disposed of by the Secretary 
          of the Interior in accordance with law.
              ``(3) Assistance.--The Director of the United States Fish 
          and Wildlife Service may use by agreement, with or without 
          reimbursement, the personnel and services of any other Federal 
          or State agency for the purpose of enforcing this section.''.
      (b) Technical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 3 of title 18, 
  United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
  
  ``Sec. 50. Exotic animals.''.
target: Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit anyone, in or substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce, from knowingly transferring, transporting, or possessing a confined exotic animal for purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of such animal for entertainment or for the collection of a trophy. Exempts the killing or injuring of an exotic animal in a state or federal natural area reserve undertaking habitat restoration from such prohibition.
  
  Defines "confined exotic animal" as a mammal of a species not historically indigenous to the United States that has been held in captivity for the majority of its life or for a period of one year.
  
  Allows persons authorized by the Secretary of the Interior to make arrests, execute warrants, and search for and seize animals to enforce the provisions of this Act.
feat_title: A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain interstate conduct relating to exotic animals.