Endangered species and the international traveller

Are you a Canadian travelling abroad or a tourist to Canada?

Will you be bringing souvenirs, exotic pets, personal or household items across international borders?

To avoid contributing to illegal trade in endangered species, having your items confiscated at the border, or receiving tickets, fines or prosecution, it is your responsibility to know and comply with applicable wildlife trade regulations.

International convention on wildlife trade

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

To prevent over-exploitation of wildlife species through international trade and illegal poaching, CITES was formed on July 1, 1975. CITES is an international agreement to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA) is the legislation through which Canada meets its international obligations under CITES.

Currently, there are over 184 States or regional economic integration organizations that are parties to the Convention. Over 40,900 species – including roughly 6,610 species of animals and 34,310 species of plants – are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade.

Imports and exports of species listed under CITES are controlled through a permit system. It is illegal to bring a CITES-listed species or its parts and derivatives across Canadian and many international borders without the appropriate CITES permits. CITES-listed animals and plants are classified into one of three appendices, depending upon how endangered they are.

WAPPRIITA - Canada's wildlife trade law

In Canada, CITES is administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada and is implemented under WAPPRIITA.

Under sections 6 to 9 of WAPPRIITA, it is unlawful to:

1. Import or possess any wild species of animal or plant, including their parts and derivatives that were obtained or exported illegally from another country. This is not restricted to CITES-listed species.
2. Import or export CITES-listed species without the appropriate permits.
3. In most cases, offer for sale or possess CITES Appendix I wild species.

Importing and exporting includes shipping by air, sea and rail, by mail and courier, and in personal luggage.

WAPPRIITA - Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act - is the legislation through which Canada meets its international obligations under CITES. In Canada, imports and exports of species listed under CITES are controlled through a permit system under WAPPRIITA.

The Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (WAPTR) are established under WAPPRIITA .

Please go to the Checklist of CITES species to search for CITES species. In order to do your research, it is advisable to use the scientific name of the species.

You must have all necessary permits before you bring a CITES-listed species, or an item with a part/derivative of a CITES-listed species, across an international border. The complete list of parties to the convention and their contact information can be found on the List of parties to the Convention webpage.

When an animal is listed under CITES, permit requirements apply to live specimens and all parts or derivatives of that species.

When a plant is listed under CITES, permit requirements apply to live specimens and all parts or derivatives of that species unless the listing is annotated to specify the regulated items.

Parts and derivatives can be included in items such as clothing, jewellery, musical instruments, herbal medicines, cosmetic creams and food products.

Did You Know?

• All cats, except for the domestic cat, are protected under CITES. Many spotted cats are Appendix I species.
• All but four species of parrots are regulated under CITES.
• Orchids account for the majority of the species listed in the CITES appendices.
• It is prohibited to import or export raw elephant tusk (ivory) or rhinoceros horn without a permit. Permits will only be issued for museum specimens, scientific research, zoos or enforcement activities. Find out more at Import and export of elephant tusk (ivory) and rhinoceros horn.

How the law applies to you?

Souvenirs

Can you bring back souvenirs made from CITES-listed species?

If the item is a CITES Appendix I species, or is made with their parts or derivatives, then the answer in most cases is no.

If the item is a CITES Appendix II or III species, or is made with their parts or derivatives, then the answer might be yes.

Exercise Caution

• You may find that souvenirs made from animals and plants listed in CITES Appendix I are freely sold in the country you are visiting. The fact that they are available does not mean that they can be legally bought or sold, or brought across the border. When in doubt, don't buy. Your good judgment may help to protect an endangered species and could prevent confiscation of an illegal souvenir at the border.
• Be aware that vendors, although selling legal items, may not be aware of the permit requirements for their import or export. Despite what they may say, it is advisable to check for yourself. You do not want a surprise at the border.

Permit Exemptions - You may bring souvenirs into Canada made from CITES Appendix II and III species without a CITES export permit from the country visited, as long as you have the souvenirs on your person or in your accompanying personal baggage

CITES permits are always needed to export live Appendix II and III plants and animals.

Canadian Tourists Abroad

Your CITES permit may not always be enough. Some countries have additional permit requirements in order to legally take items made from wildlife species out of their jurisdictions. Canada upholds these requirements. It is therefore advisable to check with the government of the country you are visiting before purchasing wildlife products.

Tourists to Canada

A Canadian CITES export permit is needed to export a souvenir made from a species that is recognized as endangered or threatened in Canada and listed under WAPTR Schedule III.

Before attempting to export a souvenir from Canada, find out if your home country's government requires any additional permits or enforces any prohibitions.

Be aware that Canada's Species at Risk Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act,1994, and some provincial/territorial regulations also protect wildlife species by including provisions relating to the possession, buying, selling and trading of Canadian species. It is your responsibility to comply with the applicable Canadian wildlife regulations.

Travelling with exotic pets

If you are changing residences across international borders with an exotic pet listed in CITES Appendix I, you must obtain both a CITES import permit from the country you are moving to and a CITES export permit from the country you are moving from.

If your exotic pet is listed in CITES Appendix II or III, usually you need to obtain only a CITES export permit from the exporting country. Some countries require import permits as well, so check before you travel.

Examples of exotic pets

• Parrots
• Many lizards
• Many turtles
• Hybrid cats
• Some fish
• Some snakes

What if I take my pet into or out of Canada temporarily?

If you are a resident of Canada and intend to take your pet temporarily and frequently out of Canada strictly for personal purposes, you can apply to the Canadian CITES Management Authority for a CITES Certificate of Ownership. This certificate, which is also known as a "pet passport," is valid for a period of three years, authorizes multiple exports and re-imports, and is recognized by most countries .

Are there any other requirements?

Importing animals into Canada is also controlled under the Health of Animals Act administered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Other countries may also have requirements so check before you travel.

When shipping live animals by air, you must comply with the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations to protect their health. Check with the airline for more information. For other means of transport, you are to follow the CITES Transport Guidelines.

Personal and household effects

A personal or household effect is an item that is personally owned by you or is part of your household. For the purposes of CITES, it is a plant or a dead animal, or parts or derivatives of a plant or dead animal.

Personal effects must be part of your clothing or accessories, or it must be carried in your accompanying personal baggage.

Household effects are part of the household belongings that you ship to your new residence when you are moving to or from Canada. It can also be part of an inheritance from an estate that is imported to or exported from Canada.

These goods must be listed on your Canada Border Services Agency's Personal Effects Accounting Document (Customs Form B4).

Permit Exemptions - For many but not all personal and household effects, you do not have to obtain the CITES import and export permits pertaining to species listed in any of the CITES appendices. However, these goods must not be intended for commercial purposes.

Items containing or made with elephant tusk (ivory) or rhinoceros horn no longer qualify for the personal or household effect exemptions. For more information, please see Import and export of elephant tusk (ivory) and rhinoceros horn.

For more information on personal and household effects, please contact us at cites@ec.gc.ca

What happens if you do not comply with the law?

There are strict penalties associated with not complying to the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act and the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations, including fines and/or imprisonment, seizure, and forfeiture of things seized.

• The fine for an individual is between $5,000 and $2,000,000, and / or imprisonment up to 5 years. For corporations, the fine is between $100,000 and $8,000,000.
• Environmental and Wildlife Crime [including illegal elephant tusk (ivory) and rhinoceros horn import and export (e.g., medicinal product, jewellery, home decoration, etc.)] can be reported anonymously by contacting the Canadian Crime Stoppers Association at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) – or in Quebec 1-800-711-1800. For more info, please visit: Canadian Crime Stoppers

Remember

• As a traveller crossing international borders, it is your responsibility to be aware of and adhere to CITES and any other wildlife trade regulations that apply in the country you are entering or leaving. Check the requirements of both countries before you attempt to bring wildlife species or products across their borders.
• You must obtain all necessary permits before your wildlife species or item made with wildlife parts or derivatives crosses international borders, and your permits must be presented and validated at the border.
• In most cases, commercial trade of CITES Appendix I Wild species is prohibited. Limited commercial trade of captive-bred CITES Appendix I animal species is allowed only from CITES-registered facilities.
• Commercial trade in cultivated CITES Appendix I plants and CITES Appendix II or III species or products containing their parts or derivatives is allowed, but only if the necessary CITES permits were obtained before the importation or exportation occurs.
• Exercise Caution - Just because something is for sale does not mean that it is legal to trade.

Permit exemptions

Note: These exemptions are recognized by Canada, but may not be by the other country to or from which you are travelling.

Items containing or made with elephant tusk (ivory) or rhinoceros horn no longer qualify for the personal or household effect exemptions. For more information, please see Import and export of elephant tusk (ivory) and rhinoceros horn.

For more information on CITES and WAPPRIITA

For information on how and where to apply for a CITES permit, contact

CITES Canada - Management Authority
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment Canada
351, St. Joseph Blvd, PVM - 15th floor,
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3

Telephone: 1-855-869-8670
Fax: 1-855-869-8671
email: CITES@ec.gc.ca
Website : CITES

The information presented here is a summary of the law. If there is a discrepancy with the information presented in the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, the legislation and relevant regulations prevail.