Eastern Tiger or Barred Tiger legality in Indiana?

[citrvsfrvits]

I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out whether or not it is legal to purchase or own one of these beauties in Indiana. I had someone on Facebook try to explain it to me, yet I still don't understand. I really want one of them, but I want to do it the right way. I'm not turned off of owning one of them if I do end up having to get a permit, I just want to make sure everything is as perfect as it can be with the law so I don't end up losing my potential new pet. I mean, I've tried looking at it myself, but it just feels like everything contradicts itself in every little way possible.

If someone who owns them in Indiana can give me a step in the right direction, that would be awesome. I am contacting DNR via email on top of this thread, so I can see if I can get any responses about this before DNR gets back to me. Thanks!

 

[minorhero]

Here is the relevant code.

http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/T03120/A00090.PDF

You need to scroll down to page 51.

The answer as I read it is that the eastern tiger salamander is native to Indiana but not endangered. It is legal to collect up to 4 with a hunting license or to import. If you want to sell them you need a license.

The western tiger salamander is not native to Indiana and thus not regulated beyond the usual 'don't release'.

Hopefully you will get someone knowledgeable at DNR to confirm for you. In my experience general inquiries with my states dnr (maryland) are met with surprising ignorance. But if I contact an individual in a section that sounds like they might know (amphibian ecology or outreach etc) they are almost certain to be able to answer the question. Good luck!