Lacey act and tortoise purchases

[Saramala]

I cannot find a lot of information on this Lacey act everyone keeps talking about. If this is passed will people be able to purchase tortoises and other reptiles at expos and then bring them with documentation into New Jersey?

I keep hearing you won’t be able to cross state lines with reptiles and it’s illegal to purchase or sell tortoises in new Jersey itself, you have to purchase elsewhere and obtain a permit with proper documentation of where you purchased the reptile.

So essentially, will I ever be able to purchase a tortoise again?

 

[OkAdiza]

Hello,
From what I’ve read on here and watched from the interview with USArk, that’s what it seems like. I was wondering about that specifically for states like NJ and places like Garden State Tortoise. Very upsetting.

 

[Markw84]

I cannot find a lot of information on this Lacey act everyone keeps talking about. If this is passed will people be able to purchase tortoises and other reptiles at expos and then bring them with documentation into New Jersey?

I keep hearing you won’t be able to cross state lines with reptiles and it’s illegal to purchase or sell tortoises in new Jersey itself, you have to purchase elsewhere and obtain a permit with proper documentation of where you purchased the reptile.

So essentially, will I ever be able to purchase a tortoise again?

If the amendments to the Lacey Act passes, only animals the US Fish and Wildlife choose to list as OK on their new white list, will be able to be moved across state lines. So if a Testudo hermanni hermanni, for example is not put on their white list, you could not buy one and bring it to New Jersey. Nor could Chris at Garden Stat Tortoise sell any or give any to anyone out of New Jersey. Or if he moved from New Jersey, he could not take any with him. As written it would be punishable by up to $20,000 fine and 5 years in prison per occurrence. Or a macaw, or Amazon parrot, or African cichlid, ball python, bearded dragon, etc, etc.