Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2009

Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2009 - (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance for projects for the conservation of rare felids and rare canids. Restricts the use of such assistance for captive breeding or display purposes.

Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group consisting of individuals representing public and private organizations actively involved in felid and canid conservation to assist in carrying out this Act.

(Sec. 5) Establishes in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund as a separate account the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund.

Defines "rare canid" to: (1) mean any of the canid species dhole, gray wolf, Ethiopian wolf, bush dog, African wild dog, maned wolf, and Darwin's fox, including any subspecies or population of such a species; and (2) exclude any subspecies or population that is native to the area comprised of the United States and Canada or the European Union.

Defines "rare felid" to: (1) mean any of the felid species lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, clouded leopard, cheetah, Iberian lynx, and Borneo bay cat, including any subspecies or population of such a species; and (2) exclude any species, subspecies, or population that is native to the United States and any tiger.

(Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary to initiate a study of felid and canid species listed under the IUCN Red List (the Red List of Threatened Species Maintained by the World Conservation Union) that are not rare canids and rare felids (as defined in this Act), to determine: (1) the conservation status of the species in the wild, including identification of those that are critically endangered or endangered; and (2) any such species that should be made eligible for project assistance. Requires a report to Congress.

(Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 8) Prohibits amounts provided as a grant under this Act from being used for any project conducted in Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan, or North Korea.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov