§ 42. — Importation or shipment of injurious mammals, birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea), amphibia, and reptiles; permits, specimens for museums; regulations.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC42]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 3--ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISH, AND PLANTS
Sec. 42. Importation or shipment of injurious mammals, birds,
fish (including mollusks and crustacea), amphibia, and reptiles;
permits, specimens for museums; regulations
(a)(1) The importation into the United States, any territory of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, or any possession of the United States, or any shipment between
the continental United States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States, of
the mongoose of the species Herpestes auropunctatus; of the species of
so-called ``flying foxes'' or fruit bats of the genus Pteropus; of the
zebra mussel of the species Dreissena polymorpha; and such other species
of wild mammals, wild birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea),
amphibians, reptiles, brown tree snakes, or the offspring or eggs of any
of the foregoing which the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe by
regulation to be injurious to human beings, to the interests of
agriculture, horticulture, forestry, or to wildlife or the wildlife
resources of the United States, is hereby prohibited. All such
prohibited mammals, birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea),
amphibians, and reptiles, and the eggs or offspring therefrom, shall be
promptly exported or destroyed at the expense of the importer or
consignee. Nothing in this section shall be construed to repeal or
modify any provision of the Public Health Service Act or Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Also, this section shall not authorize any
action with respect to the importation of any plant pest as defined in
the Federal Plant Pest Act,\1\ insofar as such importation is subject to
regulation under that Act.
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\1\ See References in Text note below.
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(2) As used in this subsection, the term ``wild'' relates to any
creatures that, whether or not raised in captivity, normally are found
in a wild state; and the terms ``wildlife'' and ``wildlife resources''
include those resources that comprise wild mammals, wild birds, fish
(including mollusks and crustacea), and all other classes of wild
creatures whatsoever, and all types of aquatic and land vegetation upon
which such wildlife resources are dependent.
(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Secretary of the Interior,
when he finds that there has been a proper showing of responsibility and
continued protection of the public interest and health, shall permit the
importation for zoological, educational, medical, and scientific
purposes of any mammals, birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea),
amphibia, and reptiles, or the offspring or eggs thereof, where such
importation would be prohibited otherwise by or pursuant to this Act,
and this Act shall not restrict importations by Federal agencies for
their own use.
(4) Nothing in this subsection shall restrict the importation of
dead natural-history specimens for museums or for scientific
collections, or the importation of domesticated canaries, parrots
(including all other species of psittacine birds), or such other cage
birds as the Secretary of the Interior may designate.
(5) The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of the Interior
shall enforce the provisions of this subsection, including any
regulations issued hereunder, and, if requested by the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of the Treasury may require the furnishing of an
appropriate bond when desirable to insure compliance with such
provisions.
(b) Whoever violates this section, or any regulation issued pursuant
thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six
months, or both.
(c) The Secretary of the Interior within one hundred and eighty days
of the enactment of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 shall prescribe
such requirements and issue such permits as he may deem necessary for
the transportation of wild animals and birds under humane and healthful
conditions, and it shall be unlawful for any person, including any
importer, knowingly to cause or permit any wild animal or bird to be
transported to the United States, or any Territory or district thereof,
under inhumane or unhealthful conditions or in violation of such
requirements. In any criminal prosecution for violation of this
subsection and in any administrative proceeding for the suspension of
the issuance of further permits--
(1) the condition of any vessel or conveyance, or the enclosures
in which wild animals or birds are confined therein, upon its
arrival in the United States, or any Territory or district thereof,
shall constitute relevant evidence in determining whether the
provisions of this subsection have been violated; and
(2) the presence in such vessel or conveyance at such time of a
substantial ratio of dead, crippled, diseased, or starving wild
animals or birds shall be deemed prima facie evidence of the
violation of the provisions of this subsection.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 687; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, Sec. 2, 63
Stat. 89; Pub. L. 86-702, Sec. 1, Sept. 2, 1960, 74 Stat. 753; Pub. L.
97-79, Sec. 9(d), Nov. 16, 1981, 95 Stat. 1079; Pub. L. 101-646, title
I, Sec. 1208, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4772; Pub. L. 102-237, title X,
Sec. 1013(e), Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1901; Pub. L. 103-322, title
XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104-
332, Sec. 2(h)(1), Oct. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 4091.)
Historical and Revision Notes
1948 Act
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Secs. 391, 394 (Mar. 4, 1909,
ch. 321, Secs. 241, 244, 35 Stat. 1137, 1138; June 15, 1935, ch. 261,
title II, Sec. 201, 49 Stat. 381; Reorg. Plan No. II, Sec. 4(f), 4 F.R.
2731, 53 Stat. 1433).
This section consolidates the provisions of sections 391 and 394 of
title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., as subsections (a) and (b), respectively.
In subsection (a) the words ``Territory or District thereof'' were
omitted as unnecessary in view of the definition of the United States in
section 5 of this title.
In subsection (b) the words ``upon conviction thereof'', were
omitted as surplusage because punishment can only be imposed after
conviction.
The amount of the fine was reduced from $1,000 to $500, thus making
the violation a petty offense as defined in section 1 of this title.
(See also section 41 of this title which provides a similar punishment.)
Minor verbal changes were also made.
1949 Act
This section [section 2] incorporates in section 42 of title 18,
U.S.C., with slight changes in phraseology, the provisions of act of
June 29, 1948 (ch. 716, 62 Stat. 1096), which became law subsequent to
the enactment of the revision of title 18.
References in Text
The Public Health Service Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is act
July 1, 1944, ch. 373, 58 Stat. 682, as amended, which is classified
generally to chapter 6A (Sec. 201 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public
Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code,
see Short Title note set out under section 201 of Title 42 and Tables.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to in subsec.
(a)(1), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040, as amended, which
is classified generally to chapter 9 (Sec. 301 et seq.) of Title 21,
Foods and Drugs. For complete classification of this Act to the Code,
see section 301 of Title 21 and Tables.
The Federal Plant Pest Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is Pub.
L. 85-36, title I, May 23, 1957, 71 Stat. 31, as amended, which was
classified generally to chapter 7B (Sec. 150aa et seq.) of Title 7,
Agriculture, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 106-224, title IV,
Sec. 438(a)(2), June 20, 2000, 114 Stat. 454. For complete
classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
This Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(3), probably refers to Pub. L.
86-702, which amended this section and section 43 of this title.
The enactment of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981, referred to in
subsec. (c), means the date of enactment of Pub. L. 97-79, which was
approved Nov. 16, 1981.
Amendments
1996--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 104-332 made technical amendment to
Pub. L. 101-646, Sec. 1208. See 1990 Amendment note below.
1994--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this
title'' for ``fined not more than $500''.
1991--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102-237 inserted ``brown tree
snakes,'' after ``reptiles,'' in first sentence.
1990--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 101-646, as amended by Pub. L. 104-
332, inserted ``of the zebra mussel of the species Dreissena
polymorpha;'' after ``Pteropus;''.
1981--Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97-79 substituted ``Secretary of the
Interior within one hundred and eighty days of the enactment of the
Lacey Act Amendments of 1981'' for ``Secretary of the Treasury''.
1960--Pub. L. 86-702 substituted ``Importation or shipment of
injurious mammals, birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea),
amphibia and reptiles; permits; specimens for museums; regulations'' for
``Importation of injurious animals and birds; permits; specimens for
museums'' in section catchline.
Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 86-702 designated first sentence of subsec.
(a) as par. (1), prohibited importation into the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico or any possession of the United States and shipments between the
continental United States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States,
described the mongoose and flying foxes by their scientific names,
extended the provisions prohibiting importation or shipment to include
wild mammals, wild birds, fish (including mollusks and crustacea),
amphibians, reptiles, or their eggs or offspring, empowered the
Secretary to prohibit importation or shipment if injurious to human
beings, forestry, or to wildlife or wildlife resources, required prompt
exportation or destruction at the expense of the importer or consignee,
provided that this section shall not be construed to repeal or modify
any provision of the Public Health Service Act or Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act and that it shall not authorize any action with respect
to the importation of plant pests, and deleted provisions which required
destruction of prohibited birds and animals or their return at the
expense of the owner, and which prohibited the importation of the
English sparrow and the starling.
Subsec. (a)(2), (3). Pub. L. 86-702 added pars. (2) and (3).
Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 86-702 designated second sentence of subsec.
(a) as par. (4), limited importation of natural-history specimens to
dead ones, and included all species of psittacine birds.
Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 86-702 designated third sentence of subsec.
(a) as par. (5), authorized enforcement by the Secretary of the
Interior, and permitted the Secretary of the Treasury, if requested by
the Secretary of the Interior, to require the furnishing of a bond.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 86-702 included violations of regulations.
1949--Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, made section applicable to any
Territory or district thereof as well as to the United States, and
changed phraseology.
Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, reenacted subsec. (b) without change.
Subsec. (c). Act May 24, 1949, added subsec. (c).
Invasive Species
For provisions relating to restrictions on the introduction of
invasive species into natural ecosystems of the United States, see Ex.
Ord. No. 13112, Feb. 3, 1999, 64 F.R. 6183, set out as a note under
section 4321 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in title 19 section 1527; title 39
section 3015.
