Wildlife Regulations, 1987

WILDLIFE. REGULATIONS 1987 Third Draft ~$Uffl) If!, 1995 THIRD DRAFT WILDLIFE REGULATIONS - 1987 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. TRAPPERS 2. EXPORTERS 3. TRANSPORTATION 4. HOLDING PREMISES 4.1 GENERAL 4.2 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING 4.3 CAGES 5. ANIMAL CARE 5.1 VETERINARY 5.2 FEED 6. SANITATION 7. REGULATORY CONTROLS 8. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS 9. SPECIFIC REGULATIONS 9.1 BIRDS 9.1.1 LOCATION OF PREMISES 9.1.2 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING 9.1.3 CAGE SPECIFICATIONS 9.2 MAMMALS 9.2.1 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS 9.2.2 CAGE SPECIFICATIONS 10. CATEGORIES IN WHICH HOLDING PREMISES WILL BE GRADED 2 1. TRAPPERS 1.1 All trappers must be licensed annually at the office of the Guyana C.I.T.E.S. Management Authority. 1.2 The annual licence fee shall be as stated In Schedule I and licences must be renewed by January 31st of.,~a,~h year. 1.3 Thes~ regulations, (1.1 and 1.2) shall not apply to persons involved In trapping for sustenance. 1.4 Names and addressesof aU trappers, except persons Involved in trapping for sustenance, shall be submitted annually to the Ministry of Agriculture. 2. EXPORTERS 2.1 All commercialexportersofwildlife mustbe licenced annuallybythe GuyanaC.I.T.E.S. Management Authority. 2.2 Exporters' licences must be renewed by January 31 st of each year. 2.3 If licences are allowedto lapse (that Is if an Exporterhas no approved Holding Premiseor if he/she does not export) for a period of two (2) years the licence shall be revoked. 2.4 All p~rsons involved In the commercial exportation of wildlife are advised to undergo a medical exarTifnation twice annually to ascertain that they are free from diseaseswhich may be transmitted to wildlife and vice versa. 2.6 All commerCial Wildlife Exporters shall pay a levy to the Ministry of Agriculture or whichever body functions as the Guyana C.I.T.E.S. ManagementAuthority before exportation of each shipment. 3. TRANSPORTATION 3.1 Captive animals/birds must be humanelytransportedat all times InapprovedcontainersWhich shall conform to specification given in the International Air Transport Association (lATA) Live Animals Regulations. 3.2 All containersusedfor transportingcaptiveanimals/birds mustbedisinfectedbeforeuse. Containers reused for two (2) or more shipments must disinfected before each shipment. 3.3 Carriers (such as GAC., chartered flights or ferries shall notify Control Tower (Air transport) or Harbour Authorities (River Transport) whenaverwildlife is being transported. Whenever wildlife is transported by such meansor by private means, the exporter is expectedto keep accurate records (see 7. - Regulatory Controls). 3.4 Permission to remove animals/birds from any carrier shall be given by a Government Veterinary Officer or Government Quarantine Officer. 4. HOLDING PREMISE~ . These regulations shall apply to all holding premiseswhether owned by trappers or transporters of wildlife or are to be used as Exporters' Holding (Quarantine) Premises.. 4.1 GENERAL 4.1.1 Holding premises shall not be located in a city, town or in built-up areas. The location and construction of Holding Premises must be given,. prior approval by the Central Board of Health, Ministry of Housing (Development Control Center) and the Ministry of Agriculture. 4.1.2 All holding premises shall be inspected and approved annually by officers of the Ministry of Agriculture. Holdingpremisesshall be Inspected by appointment, within two (2) weeks of the expiration of the previous approval. If premises are found to be unsuitable, reinspection will be done, again by appointment after two (2) weeks. 4.1.3 Exporters' Holding (Quarantine) Premisesshall be gradedannually by officers of the Ministry of AgricultLlre and a grade awarded in accordance with the categories given in these regulations (See Sedi')r1 10). The grad.; ·....hich is awarded to an Exporters' Holding (Quarantine) Premises shall determine the species and quantities of animals/birds allowed in captivity on the premises. 4.1.4 All premises shall have staff capable of (and equipment for) the restraint of captive animals and birds. 4.1.5 No domestic animals/birds. expect guard dogs and a cat which may be kept for the purpose of rat control, shall be kept on wildlife holdingprernlses. This includeswildlife specieswhich are not intended for export, but which are being kept as pets. 4.1 .6 Specimens to be exported shall at all times be protected from contact with other wild specimens Including rats, bats, etc. . 3 4.2 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING 4.2.1 The location, design and construction of all holding premises shall be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. 4.2.2 All animals/birds shall be kept in cages housed within a building of approved design and construction. If the side walls of the building are to be part solid and part open, the solid portion shall be a minimum of six (6) feet high or shall extend a minimum of one (1) foot above the top of the highest cage - whichever is greater. All "open" areas above the solid portion of the wall shall be meshed to prevent entry of rats, bats, etc. This is intended to provide animals/birds with protection from wind and rain and variation will only be accepted if they fulfill these requirements. ' . 4.2.3 Floors shall be smoothly concreted or tiled in order to facilitate effective disinfection. Floors shall not be constructed of wood. 4.2.4 Floors shall be sloped towards drains. 4.2.5 Drains shall be of adequate width to facilitate cleaning by the implements available on the premise. 4.2.6 Functional foot-baths shall be in operation at all doorways. 4.2.7 Birds, mammals and reptiles/amphibians shall be housed in separate buildings or in rooms within the same building provided these rooms are discrete units and are not interconnected, l.e, by doorways and/or access from one room to another. 4.2.8 A separate building shall be provided for the isolation and care of sick animals/birds. 4.2.9 The arrangement of cages within a building shall at all times allow for adequate ventilation and sanitation. Cages in the same row shall be separated by a minimum space of one (1) foot with a minimum three (3) foot walkway between rows of cages. A maximum of two-thirds (67%) of available floor space within a building shall be covered by cages. 4.3 CAGES 4.1.3 Cages shall be constructed entirely (top, floor, side walls and stands) of metal, hard plastics, welded mesh or expanded metal. Cages shall not be constructed of wood. 4.3.2 Cages for housing mammals and reptiles may be constructed with bottoms of welded mesh or expended metal and may be placed directly on the building floor. These cages must be moved during cleaning. 4.3.3 Cages with welded mesh or expanded metal bottoms may be vertically attached in not more than three (3) layers provided that trays of suitable dimension are placed between cages to collect faecal matter, and that the height of the building is such that this does not constitute over-crowding. 4.3.4 Feed and water troughs shall be removable from outside cages. Troughs shall be so fixed as to prevent them being moved around by the birds/animals. Troughs shall not be located under perches or exercise bars. 4.3.5 Perches shall be arranged so that, as far as is possible the faeces from one bird is not deposited on another in the same cage. 4.3.6 Perches shall be specifically arranged so that the birds, when seated on the perches, shall not damage their heads or tails. 4.3.7 Wooden perches shall be changed after each quarantine period. ANIMAL CARE 5.1 VETERINARY 5.1.1 All birds and mammals shall be dewormed on entry into the Exporters' Holding (Quarantine) Premises. The (deworming) procedure shall be repeated two weeks later. 5.1.2 Fecal and blood samples shall be randomly taken by Veterinary OfficerslTechnicians of the Ministry of Agrkulture for diagnostic ,Jurposes. 5.1.3 Approved oral antibiotics shall be used at preventative doses for the first week of the quarantine period or as recommended by the veterinarian. 5.1.4 Quarantine periods shall be as follows: 1. Birds 2. Mammals 3. Reptiles 4 weeks 2 weeks 1 week 5.1.5 Sick animals/birds shall be kept in the bUilding provided forthe care of sick animals/birds (See regUlation 4.2.8). 5.1.6 All animals/birds that die while under quarantine or on the Exporters' Holding (Quarantine) 4 Premises must be taken to the Animal Service Division or the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture. 5.2 FEED 5.2.1 Animals/birds shall be provided with a dietary protein source. Recommended protein sources Include peas, beans, soybeans, meat, insects. 5.2.2 The use of vitamin supplements is recommended. 5.2.3 Animals/birds shall be provided with fresh food at least once daily and fresh water at least twice dally. 5.2.4 Containers shall be thoroughly washed and disinfected after each quarantine period and before reuse. 6. SANITATION 6.1 Wildlife holding premises shall at all times be maintained in a clean and orderly manner. 6.2 Floors of all buildings shall be washed as disinfected at least once daily. Disinfectants must be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. 6.3 Walls shall be disinfected at least once daily. 6.4 Cages with solid floors and side walls (and all trays placed under welded mesh or expanded metal bottomed cages) shall be washed and disinfected at least once daily. 6.5 All cages shall be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before the commencement of a new quarantine period. 6.6 All wooden perches shall be changed before the commencement of a new quarantine period. 6.7 All waste shall be Incinerated on premises or transported to the Municipal Incinerator in closed containers for incineration. Sanitation practices must be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. 7. REGULATORY CQNTROLS 7.1 All exporters shall have a Wildlife Register on the premises. This register shall be made available to Wildlife Inspector on request. (The format for this Register may be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture 7.2 Exporters' Wildlife Register shall clearly detail the following: 7.2.1 Species Name - one species per page. 7.2.2 Date of Entry into Holding Premises. 7.2.3 Name of Trapper. 7.2.4 Area where species was trapped. 7.2.5 Number of animals/birds which died on each day of the quarantine period. 7.2.6 Date of Export. 7.2.7 Name of Carrier (being used for exportation) and Flight number. 7.2.8 Export Permit No. 7.3 Inspectors and/or Veterinary Officers of the Wildlife Services Division shall, at all reasonable times, be allowed access to all wildlife holding premises and be permitted to Inspect any specimens held on the premises. 7.4 The Short-Shipment Certificates prepared by the Government Quarantine Officer shall In all cases, be returned to the Ministry of Agriculture within two (2) weeks after the date of shipment. Certificates shall not be honoured after this period. 7.5 Unused CITES Export Permits shall be return to the Ministry of Agriculture within two (2) weeks after their date of expiration. 8. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS 8.1 No shipment will be allowed if any disease, which is transmissible to any species to be exported, has been diagnosed on the premises. The duration of the additional quarantine period will be dependant on the disease(s) diagnosed and will be specified by the Veterinary Authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture. 8.2 Animals known to be pregnant shall not be exported. 8.3 Animals/birds incapable of self-feeding shall not be exported. 8.4 Export of young animals may be permitted provided that: the young is not less than two (2) weeks old and is being accompanied by Its mother; both mother and young have been found to be healthy on examination by the Veterinary Officer; and 5 in the opinion of the Veterinary Officer the survival of neither mother nor young would be endangered by such exportation. 9. SPECIFIC REGULATIONS These regulations shall apply in addition to regUlations already cited. 9.1 BIRDS 9.1.1 LOCATION OF PREMISES Holding premises with exportable species of birds shall not be located within a one (1) mile radius of any commercial poultry operations. 9.1.2 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING The ceilings of building housing birds shall be a minimum fifteen (15) ft. high to provide for adequate air circulation and cooling. Exemptions may be granted at the discretion of the Minister if: the prevailing wind is strong enough to adequately ventilate the building(s) and excessive heating and the build-up of toxic gases; or an efficient cooling system e.g extractor fans, air conditioning, is used. 9.13 CAGE SPECIFICATIONS All cages shall be raised a minimum of three (3) feet above the floor. A. MACAWS (Ara erereune, Ara chloroptara) Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches L - 3 ft; W - 3 ft; H· 3 ft. five (5) birds Placed approximately I ft. above cage floor. B. PARROTS AND MEDIUM SIZED MACAWS (Ara manilata) Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches L - 3 ft; W - 3 ft; H - 3 ft. Ten (10) birds Placed approx. 1 ft. above cage floor. C. PARAKEETS AND SMALL MACAWS (Ara nobilis) Minimum cages size Capacity (Maximum) Perches D. PARROTLETS Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches E. TOUCANS Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches L -2 ft; W -2 ft; H-2 ft. Ten (10) birds Placed approx. 9 ins above the floor. L· 1.5 ft; W - 1.5 ft; H - 1.5 ft Ten (10) birds Placed approx. 7 ins. above cage floor. L - 2 ft; W - 2 ft; H - 2 ft. • 2 toucans or 4 aracaries Placed approx. 1 ft. above cage floor and aligned so that birds face sides of cage, not front. F. POWIS, MARUOI$, TRUMPETERS Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches 9.2 MAMMALS 9.2.1 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS L - 5 ft; W - 5 ft; H - 5 ft. 5 birds One (1) per bird arranged at varying levels. Ceilings of buildings housing mammals shall be a minimum twelve (12) feet high. Buildings housing monkeys shall be constructed with mosquito mesh at all doorways, windows and other openings. 9.2.2 CAGE SPECIFICATIONS Specimens, excluding monkeys, shall be housed no more than ten (10) specimens per cage. Each specimen shall be provided with minimum floor space equal to the square of double its length (e.g. an 8 in. long agouti shall be provided (8 x 2)2=256 sq. in. of floor space). The height of cages shall be not less than twice (x2) the height (length) of the tallest animal housed in the cage. 6 A. MONKEYS (LARGE) Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches B. MONKEYS (SMALL) Minimum cage size Capacity (Maximum) Perches 9.3 REPTILES 9.3.1 CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS L - 4 ft; W - 4 ft; H • 5 ft. 12 Squirrel monkeys or 6 Capuchins. One (1) per animal arranged to facilitate and encourage exercise. L - 2 ft; W • 2 ft; H - 3 ft. 10 marmosets One (1) per animal arranged to facilitate and encourage exercise. Each species shall be housed separately. 9.3.2 CAGE SPECIFICATIONS There shall be a maximum of 50 specimens per cage/enclosure. All cages/enclosure shall be at least partially covered (roofed). A CAIMANS, TURTLES, TORTOISES Each specimen shall have floor space equal to the square of Its length. Caimans and turtles shall be provided with a "pool" area occupying a minimum one-third of the floor space. The depth of water for turtles shall be not less than double the width of the widest turtle. The pool floor shall be sloped and provided with a drain hole at the lowest point for easy drainage and cleaning. B. SNAKES A maximum of five (5) specimens shall be allowed per cage. Cages shall have no less than one (1) perch per snake. Cage width shall be no less than twice the combined (total) width of all the snakes. C. LIZARDS Cages ~hall not be over-crowded (for example, one hundred (100) cublc feet for fifty small lizards such as collared lizards or ten (10) large Iguanas. There shall be a minimum of one (1) "perch" per five (5) animals. 10. CATEGORIES IN WHICH HOLDING PREMISES WILL BE GRADED 10.1 Construction of Building 10.2 Construction of Cages/Enclosures 10.3 Animal Care 10.4 Maintenance of Register/Mortality Rates 10.5 Sanitation 7 Schedule I • Licence fees Wildlife will be divided into the following categories: ParrotslMacaws Parakeets, Toucans and other birds Primates Other mammals Poi~o'nous snakes Caimans Other reptiles Poison arrow frogs Other amphibians Arthropods Ornamental fishes Orchids/Bromeliads Other plants Annual licence fees will be based on the total number of categories requested, as follows: Total no. of· TRAPPERS TRANSPORTERS EXPORTERS categories' (G$) (G$) (US$) 1-3 1,500.00 500.00 100.00 4-6 3,000.00 1,000.00 200.00 I, .. 7-9 4,500.00 1,500.00 300.00 10-12 6,000.00 2,000.00 400.00 13 7,500.00 2,500.00 500.00