The US is a major importer of wildlife in terms of species diversity and quantity. The wildlife trade has the potential to facilitate the spread of zoonotic pathogens with pandemic-scale impacts. Regulatory policies crafted to prevent entry of zoonotic pathogens should be based on scientifically sound, standardised, comparable risk analyses. In this paper, we explore how the terms domesticated animals and wildlife are applied across US federal agencies, as well as the implications thereof. We demonstrate how use of these terms strays from their scientific meaning, confounds regulatory authorities and procedures, and thus reduces scientific integrity of US wildlife trade data available for zoonotic risk analyses. To better prevent importation of zoonotic pathogens, we recommend standardising federal terminology based on scientific principles, publication of an updated list of animals recognised as domesticated, and species-specific customs codes. Although these recommendations are US-directed, they are conceptually applicable to national biosecurity regulations worldwide.