UPDATE 3/13/26: The next AGFC Commission meeting will be April 15-16. This item is scheduled to be on the agenda. Committee meetings will be held on April 15, with the Commission meeting on April 16. More details will be posted at https://www.agfc.com/about-agfc/the-commission/commission-meetings/.
Location/Time: University of Arkansas Monticello, Student Success Center, Room SSC 102, 517 University Drive, Monticello, Arkansas, at 8:00 AM each day.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has proposed changes to its Captive Wildlife species list. Among these changes is the addition of all tegu species to the Prohibited List. Currently, some tegus (only the genus Salvator) are on the Unrestricted List. Other tegus (i.e., Colombian/Golden tegu) are currently illegal to keep without a permit. The proposal also adds fire skinks to the Unrestricted List, and Dwarf Caimans, Western Painted Turtle, and Yellow-bellied Sliders to the Permitted List, along with other changes (see below).
Anyone who currently owns a tegu (prior to April 16, 2026) will be allowed to possess only those tegus if they register them by June 30, 2027. Concerned tegu owners, and especially anyone breeding them, should voice their concerns to AGFC.
You may comment until March 6 through the AGFC survey portal by going here https://www.agfc.com/regulations/ and clicking “Click Here to take the 2026 AGFC Regulations Public Input Survey.” You may comment on other sections or skip to SECTION 8: CAPTIVE WILDLIFE. There are several issues in this section (this issue is the fifth). You choose Support, Oppose, or No Opinion, and you may also leave a comment.
Below is the proposal with other list changes, and you can also find it on pages 34-35 at https://drive.google.com/file/d/102wcQJK1EFGNlQ-cic2QasDbUuO2gcr0/view.
Proposal: Update the Captive Wildlife species lists. [NOTE: Below are changes to the current list.]
Justification: Additional species have been evaluated for risk to native fish and wildlife health or populations, human health and safety, agriculture and humane confinement feasibility, and are ready to be added to the respective captive wildlife species lists. A species (i.e., tegu) has been reevaluated, and its status is proposed to change from unrestricted to prohibited due to the risk of it becoming invasive.
The species changes include:
Species additions include:
● Unrestricted (R1.01) – Species listed in R1.01 do not pose a significant risk to human health or safety, native fish and wildlife health or populations, or agriculture. These species do not require a permit to possess, import, breed, or sell.
○ Birds
■ Canary-winged Parakeet and Genus, Golden Pheasants, Lady Amherst’s Pheasants, Lineolated Parakeet, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, Mountain Quail
○ Reptiles
■ Fire Skink, Mussurana
● Permit Required (R1.02) – Species listed in R1.02 pose a potential risk to human health or safety, native fish and wildlife health or populations, or agriculture. These species require a permit to possess, import, breed, or sell.
○ Amphibians
■ Osteopilus Tree Frogs
○ Birds
■ Elliot’s Pheasant, Reeves Pheasant
○ Mammals
■ African Pygmy Mice, Fennec fox, Fishing cat, Guanaco, Three-toed sloths
○ Reptiles
■ Dwarf Caimans, Western Painted Turtle, Yellow-bellied Sliders
● Prohibited (R1.03) – Species listed in R1.03 pose a significant risk to human health or safety, native fish and wildlife health or populations, or agriculture. These species will not be permitted to possess, import, breed, or sell, except under limited circumstances.
○ Amphibians
■ Giant Toad/Cane Toad
○ Birds
■ Wild Turkey
○ Mammals
■ African Pygmy Dormice, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Leopard Cat
○ Reptiles
■ Tegu (Legal possession of Tegus is restricted to only those persons who owned the animal prior to April 16, 2026, and registered the animal with the Commission by June 30, 2027.)
