§1527 Importation of Wild Mammals and Birds in Violation of Foreign Law

Summary

You cannot bring into the United States, directly or indirectly, any wild mammal or bird (alive or dead) or any part or product of one from any country, dependency, province, or other subdivision whose laws limit taking, killing, possessing, or exporting them, after 90 days following June 17, 1930, unless a U.S. consul for the consular district where the animal or part was exported gives a certificate saying it was not acquired or exported in violation of that place’s laws. If someone imports such animals or parts without the certificate, customs can seize and forfeit them. The Secretary of the Treasury may give forfeited items to federal or state agencies, societies, or museums for display or for scientific or educational use, destroy them, or sell them (but not heads or horns of wild mammals). The rule does not apply to items banned under other laws, to imports for scientific or educational purposes, or to migratory game birds legally hunted and brought home by bona fide sportsmen when both countries allow hunting under a treaty in effect on the import date and possession is not illegal.