# Plain Language Summary: ProTECT Act of 2025

This bill would ban trophy hunting of endangered and threatened species in the United States and prevent people from bringing animal trophies from these species into the country. Right now, the law already protects endangered species from being hunted for trophies, but threatened species—which are at risk but not yet endangered—have less protection. This bill closes that gap by extending the same trophy hunting ban to all threatened species as well. So if an animal is officially listed as either endangered or threatened, you couldn't legally hunt it for a trophy in America, and you couldn't import a trophy of that animal from anywhere else in the world.

The bill's supporters argue that trophy hunting of vulnerable species actually hurts conservation efforts. When hunters target the biggest and strongest animals—which is typical in trophy hunting—it removes the animals that are most important for breeding and maintaining healthy populations. This can reduce genetic diversity, disrupt social structures, and ultimately make it harder for these species to survive. The bill also notes that allowing legal trophy hunting can create cover for illegal wildlife trafficking, which is a massive criminal enterprise worth billions of dollars annually and often connected to other organized crime like drug and weapons smuggling.

The practical effect would be that trophy hunters in the United States couldn't legally hunt threatened species, and customs officials could seize any trophies of endangered or threatened animals being brought into the country. There's a narrow exception for antiques—items that were legally obtained before the law changes—so old trophy collections wouldn't necessarily be affected. This primarily impacts recreational hunters and trophy importers, while conservation organizations and wildlife advocates view it as a necessary protection for species struggling to survive.