U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Exporting CITES Bred-in-captivity Wildlife

Captive breeding of wildlife is an

important source of animals for pet

owners, hobbyists, breeders, zoos,

researchers, and commercial dealers. If

you plan to export captive-bred wildlife,

take a few minutes to become acquainted

with wildlife laws and regulations that

may affect you.

What is CITES and how does it apply to

me?

To ensure that commercial demand does

not threaten their survival in the wild,

many wildlife species are protected by

the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora (CITES). This treaty regulates

trade in listed species, including hybrids

and captive-bred specimens, through a

system of permits and certificates.

Under CITES, a species is listed at one

of three levels of protection, which have

different permit requirements:

! Appendix I includes species

threatened with extinction that are or

may be affected by trade. Import is

prohibited for primarily commercial

purposes unless the animals meet the

criteria for bred-in-captivity (see

below). A shipment requires both

export and import permits, issued

only when the purpose of the import

or export will not be detrimental to

the species’ survival and the

specimens were legally acquired.

Export to an importer establishing a

breeding program to sell offspring is

considered a commercial purpose.

! Appendix II includes species that may

become threatened with extinction if

trade is not regulated. All specimens

require an export permit, issued for

any purpose as long as export is not

detrimental to species’ survival and

specimens were legally acquired.

! Appendix III includes species listed

by their range countries to obtain

international cooperation in

controlling trade. Export of 

non-native specimens born in the

United States requires a certificate of

origin. Export of native speices, which

the United States has included in

Appendix III, requires an export

permit.

Export permits for any CITES-listed

live specimens may be issued only when

the applicant demonstrates that the

animals will be humanely shipped, e.g., if

by air, the shipment meets the

International Air Transport Association

(IATA) Live Animals Regulations.

The Division of Management Authority

administers CITES in the United States

and processes applications for permits

and certificates.

What is bred in captivity Under CITES?

The terms captive-born, captivehatched, captive-bred, and bred-incaptivity are often used

interchangeably, but there is a

difference. Captive-born or captivehatched describe animals born or

hatched in captivity, but whose parents

may have mated in the wild, i.e. when a

wild-caught female is pregnant at the

time she is placed in captivity, or when

eggs are collected from the wild, then

hatched in captivity. Generally, captivebred describes animals that were born

or hatched in captivity and whose

parents mated in captivity.

CITES countries have agreed that

wildlife may be considered bred-incaptivity only if the exporting country

finds that the animals meet the following

strict criteria:

! The parental breeding stock (founder

stock) was: (1) legally acquired,

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© Corel © Corel
(2) established in a manner not

detrimental to species survival in the

wild, and (3) maintained without the

addition of wild-caught animals,

except for occasional addition of

animals to prevent or alleviate

deleterious inbreeding and for other

exceptional circumstances.

! The captive-breeding program has

produced offspring of second

generation or subsequent generations

in a controlled environment or the

species is managed in a manner that

has demonstrated reliable breeding to

the second generaion by other

breeders. Some second-generation

specimens do not qualify under

CITES as bred-in-captivity because

the breeding program does not

produce sufficient offspring to

maintain the diversity of the captive

stock.

For Appendix-II and -III species that

meet the above criteria, the Service may

issue a bred-in-captivity certificate.

However, for Appendix-I species,

additional restrictions apply.

What about Appendix-I species bred- What about Appendix-I species bredin-captivity?

Requirements differ, depending on

whether or not the animal was bred for

commercial purposes:

! Bred for non-commercial purposes:

If the Service finds that the specimen

was bred for non-commercial

purposes and meets the bred-incaptivity criteria outlined above, it

issues a bred-in-captivity certificate.

This document authorizes the export

of the specimen. In addition, the

importer does not need a CITES

import permit. However, some

countries have domestic legislation

that requires an import permit. You

need to contact the CITES

Management Authority in the country

of import to meet their requirements

prior to export (addresses available

from the Division of Management

Authority or from the national

contacts page at www.cites.org).

! Bred for commercial purposes:

Such trade is prohibited under

CITES except when the facility is

registered with the CITES

Secretariat. Breeding stock must

meet bred-in-captivity criteria for a

facility to be eligible for registration.

Once a facility is registered, such

animals are treated as if they were in

Appendix II—that is, they can be

exported for commercial use by the

importer. No separate CITES

import permit is required. However,

contact the country of import to meet

their requirements.

How can I show that my animals are

bred in captivity?

Keep good records. For applications

involving exporting bred-in-captivity

specimens, the Division of Management

Authority may require information on:

! How, when, and where parental stock

was obtained, and documentation to

show its legal origin—obtain a receipt

for your purchase and documentation

showing source of specimens and

parental stock. Additional information may be required for species

subject to significant levels of illegal

international trade.

! Inventory of captive population that

shows the number of animals by sex

and age- or size-class.

! Annual production (eggs laid, young

born or hatched, young reared to

independence) and mortalities within

captive population.

! Number of animals sold or

transferred annually.

! Number of animals added to the

breeder’s captive population from

another source.

! Transaction records (i.e., date,

quantity of animals, name and

address of seller, and a list of

previous owners, with a complete

history of transactions back to the

breeder or importer. For imported

animals, try to obtain and keep a copy

of the CITES permit and wildlife

import declaration).

You may need to permanently mark

your animals to track them, as well as

make available photographs or videos of

the captive propagation program and

facilities, including activities during

nesting and production and rearing of

young. Additional information may be

requested if you are breeding for

commercial purposes and are applying

to register your facility.

Does buying young animals provide

any assurance that they are captive- any assurance that they are captivebred or of legal origin?

Unfortunately, no. Young animals or

eggs could have been removed from the

wild. Their small size makes them

easier to conceal and trade illegally.

Captive-bred animals are not of legal

origin if one of the parents was obtained

illegally. You can help conservation

efforts by finding out the source of the

animals you purchase and refusing to

buy questionable stock.

How do I apply for CITES permits?

Complete a standard application form

(3-200) and submit it with a processing

fee to the Division of Management

Authority. Allow at least 60 days for

review. Also contact your State wildlife

conservation agency and the CITES

Management Authority of the importing

country to determine any additional

requirements. Some species that are

protected under CITES are also

protected by other U.S. laws under

which permit requirements may be

more stringent, i.e., Endangered

Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty

Act.

How do I get more information about How do I get more information about

registering my facility?

The registration process for a

commercial Appendix-I species requires

extensive work. To get more

information, please contact the Division

of Management Authority.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

Summer 2003

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© Twan Leenders