What EXACTLY is Going on Here?
- Thread starter PassPort
- Start date
BlakeDeffenbaugh
New member
As far as what I understand of the law and talking to several people about them they are not illegal to own. If you buy a CB animal in the states I dont even think you have to have CITES papers for them. All CITES is there for is to see where animals are going and where they are coming from. If you try to get a animal from say Germany its going to take a while to get the papers if they even approve you for them. There are a few people in here in the states breeding them. But when a animal takes a few years to mature, and only has 1 baby a year. . . kinda makes for a slow starting project. So as far as I know and unless they changed it they are legal to own and as long as you have DEEP pockets (1500-3000 each, 6000-9000 pair) you can get them. There are people on this forum that know for sure though, maybe they will catch wind of this post and let us know for sure.
BlakeDeffenbaugh
New member
In the states because of them being higher up on CITES people think they are illegal for some reason. Hell I used to also until I talked to some bigger people about them. CITES combined with the fact that you NEVER see them makes a lot of people think they are illegal. Off the top of my head I can only think of one person that is breeding them, and I'm not even sure if hes breeding them yet. I'd love to get some but right now I'm not paying that much on a animal.
BlakeDeffenbaugh
New member
No if you sell or buy inside the states I dont think you have to have papers for them. Its if you buy outside the country and have them shipped in, or sell to another country to ship out.
PassPort
New member
there was a post on Repashy's forum that explained all of it. I understand CITES I and CITES II pretty well (one of my friends breeds Aldabra tortoises and another friend works in the CITES department at the San Diego Zoo.) but the post said that since NZ has made it even illegal to photograph their wildlife w/o proper permits let alone own them and the CITES restrictions they were not allowed to be owned in the States with out lots of permits/paperwork. It didn't sound right to me, but I figured someone on here would know. The main reason I ask is that last year my friend called me dfrom the Daytona show saying if I could come up w/ $2500 he'd get me a juvie pair of Naultinus from a breeder there.
BlakeDeffenbaugh
New member
For $2500 you should get them if you got it. Thats a great price really. You dont need CITES papers if your buying and live in the use. Wish I had the $2500 I'd tell you to give him my number.
In order to get them in the country or out of the country you do have to have CITES papers. But the trade of them INSIDE the country they dont care about. Email Jon Boone he can explain it all.
In order to get them in the country or out of the country you do have to have CITES papers. But the trade of them INSIDE the country they dont care about. Email Jon Boone he can explain it all.
BlakeDeffenbaugh
New member
Yeah 2500 is a steel on them. Would definitely be one of the best buys you would ever make lol.
PassPort
New member
To be honest I have no clue what they were, just that they were an 8 mos old, sexed pair of Naultinus. My buddy only called me b/c I'm a gecko freak and thought I'd be interested. At the time I didn't even know what they were, otherwise I would've done it. A few days later I looked them up online and thought, "those are some cool geckos." Now I'm like "WTF WAS I THINKING??????? BWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I asked my buddy about it last week and he said he'd try to remember who the breeder was. I figured before I got too excited about it I should find out exactly what was going on. Even Julie from Gecko ranch said they were risky to own. A few guys were talking about how the government sets up sting operations for people to buy smuggled animals then busts them. Sounds a little paranoid to me.
I asked my buddy about it last week and he said he'd try to remember who the breeder was. I figured before I got too excited about it I should find out exactly what was going on. Even Julie from Gecko ranch said they were risky to own. A few guys were talking about how the government sets up sting operations for people to buy smuggled animals then busts them. Sounds a little paranoid to me.
Tyler Minard
New member
a lot of people think they are illegal because of the harsh penalties against stealing one out of the wild in new zealand, its somethinglike life imprisonment or something crazy like that. but like usual the germans managed to get their hands on some and once youve got them youre good to go
It is illegal to export them from New Zealand because of a no import and no export policy. This is also the same for Australia. It is not illegal to own them as long as you have documentation of them being purchased legally from legal adults. If exported from the EU, you would need the CITES III document stating they were shipped internationally by legitimate means, this document proves so. As for legal status once in the US, the permit is not necessary if sold to an individual in the same country. In the US we do not have tracking laws that require breeders/importers to establish where CITES I and II animals have been sold or purchased. CITES I is a different story.
-jason p
-jason p
Geitje
New member
Jon,Thanks for pointing out my mistype. It should have read CITES II and III, not CITES I and II.
CITES I according to what I have been informed are not tradable over state lines without permits and can only be held if you have zoo backing. Thats where it gets funny to me because I have had FWS agents give me one set of information while FWS in DC give me another. I'm still at a bit of confusion over the ESA species too.
CITES I according to what I have been informed are not tradable over state lines without permits and can only be held if you have zoo backing. Thats where it gets funny to me because I have had FWS agents give me one set of information while FWS in DC give me another. I'm still at a bit of confusion over the ESA species too.