S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5402
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced   by   Sens.  HOYLMAN-SIGAL,  FERNANDEZ,  HARCKHAM,  JACKSON,
   KAVANAGH, MARTINEZ, SKOUFIS -- read twice  and  ordered  printed,  and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conser-
   vation
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
   protecting wolves

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
 new section 11-0541 to read as follows:
 § 11-0541. PROTECTION OF WOLVES.
   1. ALL WILD CANIDS TAKEN IN THE STATE SHALL BE CHECKED AND TAGGED IN A
 MANNER TO BE DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION,
 "WILD CANIDS" SHALL MEAN COYOTES AND WOLVES, INCLUDING CANIDS THAT  WHEN
 TAKEN  WERE  THOUGHT  TO  BE  COYOTES  BUT WHICH SUBSEQUENT DNA ANALYSIS
 REVEALED TO BE WOLVES.
   2. WILD CANIDS THAT ARE TAKEN, AND WILD CANIDS ACCIDENTALLY KILLED  BY
 OTHER  MEANS SUCH AS MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION AND PROVIDED TO THE DEPART-
 MENT, THAT HAVE A WEIGHT GREATER THAN FIFTY POUNDS OR  THAT  MEET  ADDI-
 TIONAL  CRITERIA  ESTABLISHED  BY THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE SUBJECTED TO A
 DNA ANALYSIS, PAID FOR BY  THE  DEPARTMENT,  TO  DETERMINE  THE  GENETIC
 COMPOSITION  OF  THE  ANIMAL.  SUCH  ANALYSIS  SHALL  BE  CONDUCTED BY A
 REPUTABLE LABORATORY THAT HAS  PRIOR  EXPERIENCE  GENOTYPING  HYBRIDIZED
 CANIS POPULATIONS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THE RESULTS OF ANY ANAL-
 YSIS  PERFORMED  SHALL  PROMPTLY BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC BY POSTING ON
 THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   3. IN THE EVENT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES, BASED ON DNA  ANALYSIS
 OR  OTHER  SCIENTIFIC  METHOD,  THAT  A WILD CANID TAKEN OR FOUND IN THE
 STATE IS A WOLF, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DETERMINE THE LOCATION  WHERE  THE
 WOLF  WAS  TAKEN  OR  FOUND. IN THE EVENT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES THAT
 THERE  IS REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE MAY BE ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01452-02-5
              

 S. 5402                             2
 
 WOLVES IN THE VICINITY WHERE THE WOLF WAS TAKEN OR FOUND, IT MAY TAKE OR
 INSTITUTE SUCH MEASURES CONSISTENT WITH ITS EXISTING AUTHORITY  THAT  IT
 DEEMS  NECESSARY  TO  ENSURE  THE  PROTECTION OF SUCH ADDITIONAL WOLF OR
 WOLVES.
   4. NO LATER THAN JANUARY FIRST THREE YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
 THIS  SECTION,  AND  EVERY  SIX  YEARS  THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
 SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF WOLVES IN THE STATE,
 BASED ON DATA COLLECTED BY OR SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT AND SUCH OTHER
 METHODS AS DETERMINED APPROPRIATE BY THE DEPARTMENT.  THE STATUS  REPORT
 SHALL BE SIMULTANEOUSLY POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   5.  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL  MODIFY  ITS  HUNTING AND TRAPPING TRAINING
 CURRICULUM TO INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF
 WOLVES IN THE STATE, THE LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR WOLVES, THE CHECKING  AND
 TAGGING REQUIREMENTS FOR WILD CANIDS, AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH A WOLF FROM
 A COYOTE WHEN A HUNTER OR TRAPPER IS IN THE FIELD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.