Here's another one with a link...
D. The Lacey Act
The Lacey Act19 was passed in 1900 to address the growing concern about interstate profiteering in illegally taken wild animals used primarily for food. It was amended in the 1930s and 1940s, and again in 1981. The Lacey Act makes it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, or plants that were taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of a federal law or treaty, a state law, or a tribal law. Criminal and civil penalties are provided for violations of the Act. Fines for misdemeanor violations are set at a maximum of $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for organizations. Maximum fines for felonies are presently $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations.
In essence, the Lacey Act allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prosecute persons in possession of an animal illegally obtained in a foreign country or another state. Captive wild animals benefit from the Lacey Act because animals that were taken illegally in their county, territory, or state may not be imported, exported, possessed or traded legally in the U.S. In fact, in 2002, at least 17 individuals were prosecuted under the Lacey Act for selling and killing endangered leopards, tigers, and other cats, selling their pelts to collectors, and the meat of the animals to a butcher. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had been investigating this matter for 5 years. It stretched across 20 states from Florida to Michigan, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois and ended in at least 17 dead animals.20
While the Lacey Act does work to help to curb the illegal transportation of captive wild animals across state lines, it does nothing about the illegal movement of animals within a state. Therefore, if an animal is bred and born illegally in a state, then sold and bought by residents of that state, the Lacey Act does nothing to protect that animal.
Link:
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=179&page=5
Travis
Lair of Dragons
