Shipping Slimy Pets:  CITES permits aren’t for the faint of heart!

Many times our pets aren't furry.  Sometimes they're slimy, sticky or scratchy -- but loved nonetheless!  We still provide our same great pet transport services for shipping exotic species.  Today we got an email from Ian C.:

Hi, Do you do permit acquiring for shipping endangered species (captive breed), says Axolotl, from US to Canada? It will need a CITES permit and US Fish and Wildlife Export Import License/permit.

Ian doesn't say where he's going to or from, however we have arranged CITES import and export permits for a variety of species (mostly parrots and tortoises, but we're always up for trying something new!). 

CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and protects not only endangered species but other exotic species that might be subject to endangerment if not controlled.  Countries choose to opt into the convention, and if you are moving to/from a country and your pet is listed on the CITES protected species for that country, you'll need to make sure you have the right permits ahead of time.  Departing from the US, pet owners will also need to have their pet inspected and permits issued by the US Fish & Wildlife Service prior to departure as well.

It takes about 6-7 months for us to obtain the documentation required to safely and legally ship a CITES species, so we advise people who are planning pet travel with exotic or endangered pets to contact us as soon as they can.