FWS Proposes Listing 9 Constrictor Snakes as Injurious Wildlife, Would Prohibit Imports
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations to add nine types of constrictor snakes to the list of injurious reptiles under the Lacey Act (18 USC 42).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Comments are due May 11, 2010.
Injurious Listing Would Prohibit Import of Snakes, Their Eggs, Etc
This listing would prohibit the importation of any live animal, gamete, viable egg, or hybrid of these nine constrictor snakes into the U.S., except as specifically authorized (e.g., for scientific, medical, educational, or zoological purposes).
(The listing would also prohibit any interstate transportation of the nine species currently held in the U.S., except as specifically authorized.)
Would Include Boa Constrictor, 4 Python Species, 4 Anaconda Species
FWS proposes to add to its list of injurious wildlife the Boa Constrictor, four Python species, and four Anaconda species as follows:
Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor);
Pythons: Indian python (Python molurus, including Burmese python Python molurus bivittatus), reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), Northern African python (Python sebae), Southern African python (Python natalensis); and
Anaconda: yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), DeSchauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and Beni anaconda (Eunectes beniensis).
Listing Necessary to Protect Against Accidental Establishment in the U.S.
FWS states that the best available information indicates that listing these snakes as injurious reptiles is necessary to protect the interests of humans, wildlife, and wildlife resources from the purposeful or accidental introduction and subsequent establishment of these large constrictor snake populations into ecosystems of the U.S.
FWS contact - Supervisor (772) 562-3909, ext. 256
FWS proposed rule (FR Pub 03/12/10) available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-4956.pdf