Ports for the Importation or Exportation
of Wildlife and Wildlife Parts and Products
Introduction:
Generally all wildlife imported into or exported
from the United States for any purpose must be declared to the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and cleared prior to release
by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or prior to consignment
for export.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a system
of ports to allow for the import and export of wildlife, including
parts and products. These ports are used for all movement of wildlife,
including for commercial, non-commercial, scientific, or personal
purposes. Certain port locations are designated to allow the international
movement of any lawful wildlife, while other locations are restricted
to allow only certain types of wildlife for certain purposes.
The following sections explain how the different types of ports
operate and provide contact information for the wildlife inspection
office located at, or responsible for, a particular port.
Definition of Wildlife: Wildlife means any
wild animal, whether alive or dead, including any wild mammal,
bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusk (i.e. clam, snail, squid,
octopus), crustacean (i.e. crab, lobster, crayfish), insect, sponges,
corals, or other invertebrate, whether or not bred, hatched, or
born in captivity, and including any part, product (including
manufactured products and processed food products), egg, or offspring.
Import or Export: See our
regulations
(50 CFR Part 14.4)
for definitions of these terms.
