Hawaiian Senate Bill 2647 (Act 125), sponsored by Senator Mike Gabbard, was supported by local residents and dozens of grassroots and national conservation and animal protection groups including The Humane Society of the United States, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Nsefu Wildlife Conservation Foundation (NWCF), the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, Vulcan Inc., International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane Society International (HSI), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
