TARANTULA
LEGAL SECTION
This section is provided to help inform you that there are various laws, ordinance and regulations which impact the buying, trading and selling of tarantulas and other items displayed and/or advertised on the web.
We are not and do not claim to be attorneys. Information available here may help you to operate in a correct legal procedure.
Each State, province, nation or country has a right to enact control legislation and many have.
Basicly you can commit a Federal Violation if you are not aware of the law and the LACY ACT. Ignorence of the law does not prevent prosecution of Felony's or Misdemeanor offences. To be correct you need to know the law where you ship or have transactions. It may be a Federal offence if you have a transaction in and "area" that prohibits that transaction.
If you buy, sell or trade and in some cases advertise for such transactions you may break the law, read the "LACY ACT".
(18 U.S.C. 42; 16 U.S.C. 3371-3378)
This Act provides authority to the Secretary of the Interior to designate injurious wildlife and ensure the humane treatment of wildlife shipped to the United States. Further, it prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, or purchase of fish and wildlife taken or possessed in violation of State, Federal, Indian tribal, and foreign laws. The Amendments strengthen and improve the enforcement of Federal wildlife laws and improve Federal assistance to the States and foreign governments in the enforcement of their wildlife laws. Also, the Act provides an important tool in the effort to gain control of smuggling and trade in illegally taken fish and wildlife.
and the Endangered Species Act
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) protects many species of animals and plants to ensure that commercial demand does not threaten their survival in the wild.
The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed to prevent the extinction of native and foreign animals and plants by providing measures to help alleviate the loss of species and their habitats. Permits are required for species listed under ESA and may be issued as described in the Office of Management Authority's fact sheet
For live animals, in addition to an import/export permit, you may also need to obtain a health certificate or meet some quarantine requirements. For information, please contact the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) at (301) 734-8172. To import/export live plants and plant products you also need to contact USDA at 301-734-8645.
Permits are not issued for keeping or breeding endangered or threatened animals for pet purposes. The use of protected species as pets is not consistent with the purposes of the Act, which is aimed at conservation of the species and recovery of wild populations.
To monitor and assist in halting illegal trade, the Service employs approximately 85 uniformed Wildlife Inspectors. These inspectors work with U.S. Customs and Department of Agriculture Inspectors to provide expertise in Wildlife law and species identification. In addition to scrutinizing the legality of accompanying permits, Wildlife Inspectors conduct physical inspections, targeting repeat offenders and checking shipments on a random basis.
Inspectors give priority to processing importations of live wildlife.
Chart of fees charged for wildlife inspection
List of Ports with Wildlife Inspectors
List of Border Inspection Offices
All persons engaging in business as an importer or exporter of wildlife are now required to obtain a license. The cost of a license is $50.00 annually.
License holders must pay a fee of $55.00 per wildlife shipment for inspections during normal business hours. (The previous fee was $25.00).
