I was not aware that they still required a permit. I will check into that.
Have since at
least '74.
And not just a single permit...
You need a permit to own the animals, a permit to breed if that's really your intention, a permit to sell any offspring unless you plan on keeping *all* of them and a permit to bring these guys into the state from an outside source.
There are sperate permits for individual animals in most cases... you can get a general permit for a species, but this is not as easy to do. The permits are good for a calender year, with all permits expiring on December thirty first, every year, regardless of when they were obtained.
You have to fill out a number of forms and submit detailed information about how you will be housing the animals... You also need to supply proof that they were captive bred, which it sounds like these might not be.
If they're shipped into the state without labeling them, it's also a violation of the Lacey act.
Thing here is... it's a stupid law. But it is the law... as a responsible, law abiding, permit holding herper in Massachusetts I feel the only way to change said law is by OBEYING it and establishing a degree of credibility for the industry before proposing changes to the legislation. As such is my continued position on the matter, I would feel obligated to report any illegal shipment or ownership of species which are prohibited to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. I hope I am making myself VERY clear on this point, so as to prevent any misunderstanding.
The fact that Neil would ship prohibited animals into an area where they are illegal to own without a permit... especially animals which wouldn't meet the permit guidelines anyway (As I said earlier, proof of captive production is required, as at least one of the breeders is unknown, this would be impossible) simply says something about his character and business ethics... And the lack thereof.
The fact that you were unaware that they required the permits functions as sufficient logical evidence that you do not have those which are needed. I would suggest very strongly that, if the animals have already been shipped, you quietly and discreetly move them into a state where their ownership is legal... If they haven't, you might want to request a refund.
I would also suggest that Neil do a bit more reasearch on the animals he's selling, and double check their legality prior to shipping... This could potentially come back on HIM in the form of fines and potential jail time (As the shipper) as far as Massachusetts is concerned, especially if he directly circumvented the Lacey act in order to avoid detection.
