The National Center for Import-Export Animal Program gives specific information on bringing horses or birds into or out of the country. Additional information is available in the Traveling of our web site. We also recommend contacting the airlines early to ask about their specific regulations. Also see the resources in the previous question. Laws involving the care or sale of animals or captive wildlife vary from state to state and often from county to county, within the states.
Laws vary depending upon the use of the animal.
If you want to import a wild animal from another country, please see the National Center for Import-Export Animal Program webpage. If you are interested in a wild animal native to another country but bred in the U.S., please see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service document on Captive-Bred Wildlife . For some wildlife species native to the US, it is illegal to keep them captive without a special permit. These permits are usually issued to wildlife rehabilitators or exhibitors such as zoos and wildlife centers where they are used for conservation purposes, including education. This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site describes some of the relevant laws and permits.