Protecting animals and wildlife

Note: This page is a reproduction of the Hillary for America policy proposal on protecting animals and wildlife. 

Hillary Clinton is committed to promoting animal welfare and protecting animals from cruelty and abuse.

As president, Hillary will:

  • Protect wildlife in the United States by keeping public lands public—not auctioning them off to the highest bidder—and making more resources available to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who are taking steps to conserve our wildlife, lands, and waters.
  • Combat international wildlife trafficking by shutting down the U.S. market for illegal wildlife products and combating international animal trafficking and poaching, which harms the environment and fuels terrorist activity.
  • Protect pets and domesticated animals by making sure facilities like animal breeders, zoos, and research institutions create plans to protect the animals in their care during disasters; strengthening regulations of “puppy mills” and other harmful commercial breeding facilities; and supporting the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act.
  • Protect farm animals from inhumane treatment by encouraging farms to raise animals humanely and working to eliminate the use of antibiotics in farm animals for non-therapeutic reasons.
  • Protect horses by ending the slaughter of horses for human consumption and cracking down on the practice of horse soring, in which chemicals or other inhumane methods are applied to horses’ limbs to exaggerate their gait.

Hillary has a strong record of standing up for animal rights:

  • As U.S. senator from New York, Hillary spearheaded efforts to prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from buying chickens for the federal school lunch program that have been injected with therapeutic antibiotics. She pushed for stricter FDA review of animal drugs, co-sponsored legislation to protect animal rights and prohibit animal fighting, and earned a perfect score from The Humane Society Legislative Fund.
  • As secretary of state, Hillary elevated U.S. efforts to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking and promote conservation.