The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife Division in August published a notice of intent to amend and clarify current state code regulating the collection and possession of reptiles and amphibians native to Indiana. The notice also clarifies sale and transport requirements as well as the possession and sale of dangerous reptiles.

No comment period has yet been announced.
Among the proposed changes:

• Collection and possession of reptiles and amphibians native to Indiana. Individuals would be allowed to take native herptiles from the wild under harvest limitations. Permit requirements apply for the possession of some species.
• Sale of turtles not native to Indiana. This new section of code would ban the sale of turtles with carapaces less than 4 inches long.
• Possession, sale and transport of dangerous reptiles. This section clarifies that an individual may not possess, transport for sale or offer for sale a dangerous reptile.
• Reptile captive breeding license. A new restriction prohibits usage of ISO (134.2 kHz) microchips. Prior to implanting any microchip, one must check to see if the Avid reader can actually read the chip, not merely detect the presence of a non-Avid chip.
• Commercial shipment or processing of fish. New provisions would require shipments to be accompanied by a dated bill of lading that sets forth the species, number or poundage; origin; destination; and name and address of the purchaser.
• Class III wild animals for which a permit is required. Amendments to this section define a Class III wild animal as “a wild animal that presents a real or potential threat to human safety.” Animals on the list include venomous reptiles and crocodilians that are at least 5 feet long.

To read the notice in its entirety, see the Pet Alert on the “Breaking News” page at www.pijac.org. [October 2009 PET AGE]