Big news! The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the END Wildlife Trafficking Act, a bill that represents progress on the strengthening of U.S. laws to target wildlife traffickers.

Currently, criminals who illegally kill an elephant, tiger, or other endangered animal, can slip through the cracks. This bill, which now goes to President Obama for his signature, would help close the gap, bolstering wildlife trafficking law enforcement and increasing support for wildlife rangers, including the transfer of military equipment for ranger use.

"Poaching and trafficking operations are growing in scale and sophistication," said John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, in a statement, "with much of the billions of dollars generated financing extremist groups and criminal syndicates. We need to address this crisis now, before it is too late."