Who We Are Back to the Pacific Region Home Page Division of Law Enforcement Pacific Region Wildlife Inspections To monitor and assist in halting illegal wildlife trade, the Service employs approximately 85 uniformed wildlife inspectors at various ports or entry throughout the country. Approximately 30 of the Nation's wildlife inspectors are assigned to ports of entry in Region 1. These inspectors work with Customs and Agricultural inspectors to provide expertise in wildlife law and species identification. In addition to scrutinizing the legality of accompanying permits, wildlife inspectors conduct physical inspections, targeting repeat offenders and checking shipments on a random basis.
Inspectors give priority to processing importations of live wildlife.
Since the early 1970s, the Service has designated certain ports of entry for the importation and the exportation of wildlife. The concept of designated ports provides a funneling mechanism that consolidates wildlife shipments at a few specific locations to provide efficient service and to reduce the cost to the public. Originally the Service designated eight ports of entry for wildlife shipments. These were New York, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Honolulu. In 1981, in response to public request, the Service added Dallas-Fort Worth, in 1990, Portland, Oregon, and in 1992, Baltimore, Maryland, to bring the current total to eleven designated ports.