# Tarantulas Illegal in Maine?



## satchellwk (Apr 3, 2013)

So, I don't avidly watch the show "North Woods Law", but I leave my TV on Animal Planet for some background noise/light, and I noticed it showing a guy's herp collection (season 2, episode 5 if anyone wants to see it themselves). Then, it shows a T. blondi, at which point I turn up the volume. Well, I was shocked when the game warden takes the T along with other so-called "dangerous exotic animals," which consisted some young crocodilians and a hatchling reticulated python. The warden then commented how he planned to try to locate the individuals who were selling the animals to put a stop to it. 

So, since when are tarantulas considered "dangerous" and illegal in Maine? Can they really just be confiscated like that? I'm aware this might have been a "reality" TV setup, but I looked up Maine laws regarding them, and I found their Wildlife and Fisheries site, which says all tarantulas are "restricted" animals (here is a link: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/species/unrestricted_species.htm ). When did this happen? I'm sure there are plenty of people on here from Maine, are any of you aware of this?


----------



## Aviara (Apr 4, 2013)

It may have been a case where all the animals were confiscated do to being improperly cared for. I know I've read news reports of cases where ALL the reptiles where taken when a hoarding situation was discovered even though only the venomous reptiles in that area were illegal. I got a little lost on that site you linked honestly, probably because it's late and I'm tired, but does "restricted" indicate illegal to possess or simply illegal to import? There's a big difference. Regardless I wouldn't worry too much. Most of us ship or have shipped tarantulas through companies (UPS, USPS, FedEx) that do not allow shipment of arachnids and I'm sure we break other small rules for the sake of our hobby all the time. Most game wardens and police officers have bigger problems than pet tarantulas!


----------



## Amoeba (Apr 4, 2013)

If memory serves I've spoken to a hobbyist who is required to have a permit for each of their tarantulas in Maine. Worthless restriction IMO.


----------



## Wramo (Apr 4, 2013)

I recently moved out of Maine...not that that makes me an authority or anything. Ts are illegal without the proper permits (good luck getting them) on the grounds they could establish a population (ridiculous). That doesn't stop anyone from owning them who wants to. I think dubia and a litany of other animals are technically illegal too. Anything that isn't on an "unrestricted" list either requires a possession and importation permit or is outright illegal. Most Ts are outright illegal, though I think you can get permits for a Rosie which will probably cost five times what the T cost. I know the Maine Herp Society tried to expand the unrestricted list and ended up getting 50 or so species added back in 2009, but things were far from perfect. You couldn't own many non-endangered, non-venomous reptiles that needed temps in the 80s+ just to survive on the basis that they could become an invasive species. The whole thing seemed totally arbitrary, especially considering there were plenty of hardier reptiles that were legal. Thankfully the Herp Society improved things, but they only focused on reptiles and some amphibians. Ts remain illegal, along with hedgehogs et al. Just don't hop across the border to anarchic New Hampshire where everything is legal and Pygmy Hedgehogs and T. Blondis roam the streets, eating family pets and small children.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## stewstew8282 (Apr 4, 2013)

wow that is totally ridiculous...


----------



## stormielynn (Apr 4, 2013)

If u look at the bi laws for most towns...u may be surprisd. Most places have restrictions on arachnids...snakes....lol where we live its even illegal to own a wallaby... ha ha... just take it with a grain of salt


----------



## prairiepanda (Apr 4, 2013)

stormielynn said:


> If u look at the bi laws for most towns...u may be surprisd. Most places have restrictions on arachnids...snakes....lol where we live its even illegal to own a wallaby... ha ha... just take it with a grain of salt


Reading this made me realize I never looked up animal bylaws for my mom's hometown, where I'll be taking my Ts soon for the summer...there are plenty of animal bylaws there, but apparently they define "animal" as a cat or dog. I swear there used to be restrictions on other things, like having farm animals in town, but seems like those are all gone.


----------



## k2power (Apr 4, 2013)

I saw this last night and it just reaffirms my thoughts on game wardens.  Sure they do some protection of declining wildlife but their focus is enforcement of laws pertaining to common game that really don't need much protection nowdays. Who cares if a couple of deer get poached.  I bet many times more are hit by cars and we don't seem to do much to stop that other than a fence here or there and a yellow sign.  There are still plenty of deer in most places and the only deer that are endangered I can think of are Key deer and that is not due to overzealous people poaching them.  Think of how common deer are and how many resources are geared towards their protection.  Ridiculous...almost as ridiculous as thinking any tarantula could naturalize in Maine.  I would love to see some thought put into law enforcement budgets and actually gear it towards more useful actions.  I was actually mad after seeing that.  Won't be moving there soon.  Glad horses, rottweilers, and pit bulls are legal since no one has ever been hurt by one of those.

---------- Post added 04-04-2013 at 05:04 PM ----------

I ousght to start a petition to Animal Planet to drop that show so Game and Fish will lose a lot of money.  That would be great.


----------



## Illuminati (Apr 4, 2013)

Actually the poaching deer thing hits home with me - it is not the same thing in comparison. Poaching takes away funding because legal hunters pay for the right to hunt with poaching if it wasn't enforced no one would pay to hunt and there would be a huge chunk of money missing from that for the budget. Poaching deer also causes land owners to close of their lands to hunters entirely or they have to pay a large rental fee to hunt on it. You also find poachers will cut off antlers of deer and leave everything else to waste. Believe it or not you do notice a difference between deer populations from year to year if you are a hunter. 
Just saying it is not in the same league, lots of people care if a few deer get poached, because it's not right and it's against the law. 
I do also think it is silly to have to have a permit to own a T though I will agree with that and Maine wont be seeing me as a resident any time soon


----------



## k2power (Apr 4, 2013)

My argument is that gamefish and wildlife protection in most states is for the reasons exactly as you described....the financial benefit that is gained from hunting and fishing having very little to do with protection of animals that need protection.  Sure there are areas where there are more deer than others but in most places deer are quite common. Habitat variablility and population dynamics have a lot to do with spatial and seasonal variation.   As for waterfowl, I know they are declining so have far fewer reservations about spending on their protection but much of that is federally controlled.  I know there is some decent protection of rare wildlife in some states but again the Feds do far more protection of declining wildlife than states do and state protections vary widely.  

I know there are people that have questionable ethics that poach for antlers and leave animals and I don't agree with it but from a healthy population's point of view it is no different than that deer being hit by a car.  It really isn't wasted as vultures, coyotes, flies, crows and ants among other things will find it useful.  Gotta think out of the anthropomorhic box.  Just because we didn't use it doesn't mean it was wasted.  Now, someone killing a rare species illegally is far different.  It reduces some genetic information in a restricted gene pool and puts the species or population's survival at just a little more risk of extinction.  I just hate to see the amount of money that goes toward deer that I see could do more good going towards something that really needs it for just survival....like protection of Poecilotheria populations in Sri Lanka and India to keep it relevant to tarantulas.


----------



## Arachtion (Apr 5, 2013)

Wramo said:


> I recently moved out of Maine...not that that makes me an authority or anything. Ts are illegal without the proper permits (good luck getting them) on the grounds they could establish a population (ridiculous). That doesn't stop anyone from owning them who wants to. I think dubia and a litany of other animals are technically illegal too. Anything that isn't on an "unrestricted" list either requires a possession and importation permit or is outright illegal. Most Ts are outright illegal, though I think you can get permits for a Rosie which will probably cost five times what the T cost. I know the Maine Herp Society tried to expand the unrestricted list and ended up getting 50 or so species added back in 2009, but things were far from perfect. You couldn't own many non-endangered, non-venomous reptiles that needed temps in the 80s+ just to survive on the basis that they could become an invasive species. The whole thing seemed totally arbitrary, especially considering there were plenty of hardier reptiles that were legal. Thankfully the Herp Society improved things, but they only focused on reptiles and some amphibians. Ts remain illegal, along with hedgehogs et al. Just don't hop across the border to anarchic New Hampshire where everything is legal and Pygmy Hedgehogs and T. Blondis roam the streets, eating family pets and small children.


Haha quality!


----------

