4/2/20 Arkansas Alert

Arkansas Alert

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has posted their proposed changes regarding the “captive wildlife” regulation. The deadline to comment is April 15, 2020.

The complete set of changes can be found at www.drive.google.com/file/d/1SbK3H1lD65C54OJ5OjNVW3lji0HCYdDm/view. Note that this is 160 pages and covers more than the captive wildlife amendments. Relevant changes and pages are detailed below.

Stakeholders should complete the survey at the link below. The first several questions regard hunting and fishing regulations so herpetoculturists may answer NO to advance to the questions on “captive wildlife” (which includes herps, birds, and mammals). To respond to these specific questions, you will answer YES to “Do you wish to view and comment on proposed regulations related to captive wildlife regulations?” on page 24. Please note that you will reach this page in less than a minute if you answer NO to commenting on the hunting/fishing regulations.

In the survey, the herp questions start at question #69.

Question #74 regards the Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List so you will need to reference with pages 154-157 of the linked document. There are only 71 listings of mammals, reptiles, and birds on this list, which is a “white list” of species that can be kept with little regulation. A few listings, such as cockatoos and blue-tongued skinks, include multiple species or are listed at the Genus level. Minimal species have been reviewed. The Unrestricted List actually alleviates some current problems caused by current AGFC regulations but the list of species is extremely small. It has been suggested that species not found on the other two lists should be “unrestricted” by default rather than having an actual list.

Question #75 regards the Permitted Captive Wildlife Species List of species that will require permits for breeding, sale, and importation. It seems that while buffalo and camels are unrestricted, you’ll need permits if you want Boa constrictors or Pacman frogs. The Permitted List is on pages 157-158.

Question #76 covers the Prohibited Captive Wildlife Species List, which is a ban list. You will be able to keep hyenas in Arkansas (with permits) but not dwarf reticulated pythons. The Prohibited List can be found on pages 159-160. While a permit system has been created allowing for the keeping of venomous reptiles, no such regulation was created for many large constrictor snakes.

After opposing (or supporting) the described regulation, you can then answer why you oppose (or support).

The number of submissions during the last survey was dismal. It is important for opposition to be made! The survey results will be provided to the Commissioners.

Remember to be civil and professional when submitting comments!

Survey link (Please read the provided few paragraphs before completing the survey. Saving your responses in a Word file for later use is a good idea.): www.docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9rJO7-RCP4rky1GZwEOV4d964LKIwHpics9vVIqhydXf8Wg/viewform.

Relevant pages and changes:

Here is the link again: www.drive.google.com/file/d/1SbK3H1lD65C54OJ5OjNVW3lji0HCYdDm/view

1. Pages 154-160 hold the three-tier species lists. Of note;
a. the entire scientific family Salamandridae will be prohibited;
b. many large constrictor snakes will be prohibited “(Malayopython reticulatus, Python bivittatus, P. molurus, P. natalensis, P. sebae)”

2. Pages 126-154 cover captive wildlife. Words in regular, black text are the current regulations. Words in red are changes. Red underlined text is new. Red strikethrough text is being removed. This is a regulation that has been in development for nearly two years and we have several posts covering the matter.

3. Page 17: Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit.

4. Page 21: Venomous Reptile Possession Permit.

5. Note that if your species of interest does not appear on a list, you will need to submit your species review request to AGFC and wait to see where it falls before you can keep it or import it into Arkansas (if it is not listed as prohibited).

You can contact AGFC by email at askagfc@agfc.ar.gov

More on Arkansas

As a very quick review, this overhaul of the Arkansas captive wildlife regulations began back in mid-2018. There are many issues with the current regulations and this proposal does resolve some problems but there are still troubles with the proposal. We appreciate the members of AGFC staff who have taken the time to listen and those who understand the factual information provided by dedicated stakeholders and USARK. Hopefully, we can see more collaboration rather than bans.

Essentially, AGFC is creating a three-tier system (three lists of species):

1. unrestricted list: exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

2. permitted list: Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required). This list also includes venomous and there is a new Venomous Reptile Possession Permit (F1.08 on pages 149-151 of the linked document).

3. prohibited list: The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11 and Addendum F1.03 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.13, and 09.14)