He shows up at every class. Other regulars include corn snakes, copperheads, various salamanders, newts and bog and box turtles. Officers checked this pet shop in Timonium, Maryland, and found nothing illegal for sale. But before Soper leaves, the owner has some questions of her own about limits on tadpoles collected from the wild. Part of Soper's job is to answer such questions.
Officers conduct most of their inspections between more urgent calls, such as boating accidents.
The Natural Resources Police started as the State Oyster Navy in 1868, and is the only Maryland agency mandated to enforce conservation and boating laws. That's our job. Since the early 1990s, many states have tightened laws governing the pet trade to protect vulnerable native populations, mainly reptiles and amphibians, for which the marketing code-word is exotics. Related Sites Visit ABC News for the latest news on poaching and the black market. Check out Maryland's Department of Natural Resources for information on their programs.