Legality of typhlonectes?

J

josef

Guest
I was talking to the owner of a tropical fish shop asking about the availability of "rubber eels", and she said she often had them, but that they were now illegal. I live in Oregon, and I know for a fact that they aren't illegal because of our exotic animal laws. Are there any other law that makes them illegal? Such as exporting from certain countries in South America? Or is she mistaken?
 
All of the countries of origin do not legally export any of the Typhlonectes (FYI all of the Typhlonectes I have seen in the USA are natans, as are all of the ones that were obtained by the US Zoos). Typhlonectes are occasionally illegally exported with fish shipments as different types of eels. As USF&W enforces all of the relevant laws regarding wildlife this makes them illegal to obtain in the USA. It also makes any obtained from these illegal shipments illegal to ship within the USA or to import from Canada (which apparently still recieves shipments of them).
If you find some cb offspring I recommend getting something in writing to document this in case any questions are ever raised over the legality of the animals.
Hope this answers your questions.
Ed
 
So is it basically impossible to get legal ones in the US now? Why are fish exportations legal while amphibian ones are not? Is it threatened?
 
FYI,
According to the literature there have never been legal exportations of Typhlonectes for the pet trade, there have been permits granted for collection of specimens for research and study. Basically what happened is that someone at USF&W realized that there were large numbers of Typhlonectes being exported illegally from Colombia and Venezuela and started confiscating shipments, refusing to clear shipments through customs and levying fines on the importers.
The countries of origin strictly control the collection and exportation of vertebrates and only allow fish and a couple of other species to be harvested (such as boas and iguanas in Colombia). At this time Typhlonectes natans and Typhlonectes compressicauda are not threatened in the wild despite thier often poor survial rate in the captivity.
Ed
 
Well if we are talking about poor survival rate Ed, I think we must point straight to the keepers, as from my side of the story they are extremaly hardy. I keep mine at 25°C - 27°C and offer them a place to 'rest' in the bioblok filter, so that they are not always fully out in the light since to my opinion they need something dark and possibly half-land to hide during the day, rolling out of it for searching food during the night. Currently it looks like I have 3 gravid females ... but it will take 3 more months before they give birth
 
Hi Henk,
I agree, the majority of the Typhlonectes that came into the USA in the 90s ended up in tropical fish aquariums and were not properly maintained and usually died fairly quickly usually from poor water conditions, escaping or starvation.
I had 30 babies last year from four females. When well taken care of these caecilians are hardy and do well.
Ed
 
So Ed,
Imports are illegal, but are they legal to possess?

I met a guy who wants to sell me some. I think he originally bought them from a pet store (some years ago).
Is this transaction illegal?
Could he legally give them to me?
May i legally possess them?

This month's Reptiles magazine has an article about terrestrial gymnophoina which mentions that, "The United States Fish and Wildlife service has made it clear in recent years that the aquatic species of typlonectid caecilians....are not currently legal to import or own in the United States"

Is this factually correct?

-rob

(Message edited by zebeck on October 14, 2004)

(Message edited by zebeck on October 14, 2004)
 
Hi Rob,
The article is correct. In the beginning Typhlonectes were illegally imported into the USA (and elsewhere) as fish (eels to be specific). There was a crackdown in the early 1990s where large numbers were confiscated or refused entry into the USA (this is where the Zoo and aquarium populations came from). There have continued to be small scale imports hidden in fish or into Canada where they were then driven over the border and then sold on aquabid.com (shipped out of NY the ad I saw advertised). If you cannot prove that they came from a released confiscation, then they are technically illegal to possess in the USA if they were involved in a commercial transaction (violation of LACY Act). I am not sure what the statute of limitations on the LACY Act or smuggling into the USA is but until it (if it) expires for those animals then they and their offspring are still illegal so own them at your own risk.

Ed
 
K thanks Ed. guess i better stay on the "right" side of the law.
 
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