Can you keep and or transport Tarantulas to NZ?

[JimiJimo]

I'm gonna be buying my first tarantula in a week or so and although I won't be moving to NZ until maybe 5 years from now, would I be able to take it with me? I saw a thread here that stated the same question but that was from 2016 and it seemed like it was both a yes and no has that changed at all? thank you sorry if this is a stupid question I just wanna bring my tarantula with me which by then I would be extremely attatched to.

 

[Vanessa]

The best thing to do is to visit the government website and check the animal importation laws. They are usually pretty clear on what animals are able to be imported and what paperwork is required. I wouldn't bother doing it until closer to your move, as regulations are changing all the time.

 

[chanda]

I doubt that New Zealand will allow you to import your tarantula. New Zealand has very strict laws regarding the importation of *any* live animals. There is a very short list of approved domestic pets that can be imported (cats, dogs, chinchillas from Great Britain, rabbits from Australia, and guinea pigs from Australia). Invertebrates, reptiles, and birds are not allowed to be imported as pets because of the potential harm to native species and/or the environment if they were accidentally released. In order to import any sort of invertebrate, strict biosecurity measures must be in place - and a pin-locked cage on your dresser or closet shelf doesn't qualify. Zoos and research facilities are likely to be the only places that would be approved to import a tarantula. Anyone else faces potentially severe penalties, including fines or even jail time.

Five years is a long time, so you shouldn't let that stop you from getting a tarantula now if you really want one - but keep in mind that tarantulas can live for a very long time, and you are unlikely to be able to bring it with you when you eventually move. If you do get a tarantula now, you should do so with the expectation that you will need to eventually find a home for it, whether you give it to a friend or family member or give or sell it to someone in your local invert-keeping community, or whatever.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

To my knowledge you are not allowed to keep tarantulas at all in New Zealand.

 

[H3nry]

From reading this I don't think you can even import let alone own a tarantula unless your a zoo bur this website should help a bit
https://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/imp...vertebrates/steps-to-importing-invertabrates/

 

[FrDoc]

Get a male.

 

[Arachnophoric]

<edit>

Suggestion of illegal activities, ESPECIALLY advertising the smuggling and keeping of tarantulas where they're illegal, is against forum rules. Could you be more conspicuous?

 

[Mister Senpai]

Suggestion of illegal activities, ESPECIALLY advertising the smuggling and keeping of tarantulas where they're illegal, is against forum rules. Could you be more conspicuous?

oof

i mean aren't all T's imported somehow? Like T's are a big thing in the Philippines, but sometimes regarded as illegal, yet its still huge. I'd imagine same applies for other countries.

 

[Arachnophoric]

oof

i mean aren't all T's imported somehow?

Yes, they are, usually (and hopefully) via legal means for people who genuinely care about this hobby keeping out from under scrutiny that'd result in further bans and restrictions. But that's a fair stroke different from actively suggesting someone smuggle tarantulas in their luggage on a public forum. In addition to admitting you illegally keep, breed, and sell them where it's illegal to do so. Like, you do you man, but at best you're setting yourself up for some infractions and a possible ban. At worst, the wrong person sees your little "advertisement" and the jig is up.

 

[Mister Senpai]

Suggestion of illegal activities, ESPECIALLY advertising the smuggling and keeping of tarantulas where they're illegal, is against forum rules. Could you be more conspicuous?

While on the topic, is this some sort of loophole? Obviously bringing a T through the import is ILLEGAL in most countries including EU and the USA, but once someone starts breeding them and selling them, the police or govt don't do anything.
For eg, famous YouTuber dark den has T's but the Croatia law states it is illegal to import animals that aren't of the local flora and fauna or without a special permit of some sort, hence importing T's isn't allowed.

 

[Arachnophoric]

While on the topic, is this some sort of loophole? Obviously bringing a T through the import is ILLEGAL in most countries including EU and the USA, but once someone starts breeding them and selling them, the police or govt don't do anything.
For eg, famous YouTuber dark den has T's but the Croatia law states it is illegal to import animals that aren't of the local flora and fauna or without a special permit of some sort, hence importing T's isn't allowed.

I couldn't tell you all the details behind it, but I know of dealers here in the USA who do spend the cash to get those special permits and do all the necessary paperwork to import tarantulas from overseas, as long as export from that country isn't illegal (such as it is now with Brazil and their endemic species).

I'm not certain about this, but I'd bet why nothing is done about species that are only in the hobby due to illegal smuggling (assuming you mean why the offspring of the smuggled Ts aren't confiscated from people who have purchased them?) is because owning tarantulas as a whole is not illegal here, just the act of smuggling itself. Again, I'm not sure about the validity of that assumption though and am really not the person to be asking such a question.

 

[sasker]

is this some sort of loophole?

Some laws are quite vague, or local authorities turn a blind eye. There is no rule that cover all situations. You should be able to find out if your country is strictly enforcing the laws or not. But remember that getting away with breaking the law does not mean that you are not doing anything wrong. There is also a moral obligation not to break the law.

If certain species could survive the climate you are in and it is not allowed to import animals for this reason, importing these animals anyway is morally wrong. Even if you don't set your animals free, you don't know what the buyers of your slings will do. There are loads of Burmese pythons and giant African land snails in the Everglades messing up the eco-system because some irresponsible people were fed up with their pets. Or consider the sugar cane toad in Australia (okay, not caused by pet owners, but the damaging effects are the same).

On the other hand, some species are nearly extinct in the wild because of poaching. It's a grey area, I know. Many in Europe have Brachypelmas without CITES permits. I believe that you are supposed to have one but few sellers provide them when selling on the European market. Many breed these animals, so it is safe to assume that any sling you buy is captive bred. But would I buy an illegally wild-caught tarantula from the dark web? No.

 

[Arachnophoric]

There are loads of Burmese pythons and giant African land snails in the Everglades messing up the eco-system because some irresponsible people were fed up with their pets.

This isn't actually what caused the problem - many breeding facilities were decimated by hurricanes which set loose the animals, the amount of people who just "released their pet because they were sick of it" is grossly overdramatized and was one of the scapegoats used to get restrictions put on these animals. Not to mention those wild populations are dying out and harder to find these days, as over the last few years especially Florida has been experiencing cold snaps with temperatures below what pythons such as burms are capable of handling since they're unable to adapt to it. That's also why this is a problem specifically contained to that area; going any further North will regularly put them in temperatures that will kill them come winter.

Of course it's never a good thing for any invasive species to take root somewhere, but if people genuinely cared about that then you'd think more would be done about feral cat problems, as they have devastated the populations of native animals (particularly reptiles, rodents, and birds), many of which are endangered, and are NOT a problem that is contained to a 4000 square mile sprawl of swampland.

But yes, there are a fair lot of animals that get banned solely on the fact that were it to get loose and build a thriving, breeding wild population, they'd have the ability to really harm the eco system, where there ARE plenty of examples of exactly that happening - domestic common carp and Nile perch come to mind.

 

[sasker]

scapegoats used to get restrictions put on these animals.

I was not aware of this.

domestic common carp and Nile perch come to mind.

Wasn't there a snakehead fish invasion in the US? Rats that came with ships come to mind as well. Rabbits in Australia. American mink in Europe. Same goes for American grey squirrels and muskrats in Europe. There is also a growing raccoon population in Germany and the Netherlands. Indeed, many of these invasive species originate from commercial activities.

 

[Liquifin]

Obviously bringing a T through the import is ILLEGAL in most countries including EU and the USA,

If it's imported legally through permits then it's legal. I know some Koi breeders who imports fish from other countries including Thailand and Japan, which Japan has the worlds best fish food for Koi's. Technically it's dependent on if you have the papers/permits to prove that you obtained/import/export exotic animals legally. Imports/exports do kind of have a flaw in which people just mark them as for studying or for other purposes. Because if you label or mark them as for pets or somewhere along those lines, it's just going to be confiscated or prevented from being shipped out.

There are loads of Burmese pythons and giant African land snails in the Everglades messing up the eco-system because some irresponsible people were fed up with their pets.

The list goes on with how many invasive species there are in Florida, it's the wild wastland on what you can find that's invasive. But most invasive species are not intentional, which storms and hurricanes are the main reasons which exotic pets get released into the wild. Just look at the veiled chameleon, tokay gecko, and tegus in Florida. All are accidental invasive species, but many reptile/pet shops are getting accused of certain exotic animals going loose. Under Ground Reptiles are being pressured to close down because of the Tegus and morphs they're breeding. Which some people believe it's because of them that's why the Tegu is an invasive species in Florida

Wasn't there a snakehead fish invasion in the US?

Yes, originally imported from Thailand to a guy in Florida. Originally it was kept in his pond in his backyard, but during a hurricane/typhoon it flooded out the pond which the fish was released out which then caused it to become an invasive species in the US. Not 100% on this, but this is what I've been told and what many people say, so correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Arachnophoric]

I was no aware of this.

I saw you were from Bulgaria and figured that was the case.

 

[Arthroverts]

Beat me to it @Arachnophoric . Nice to see others know what actually happened with the Burmese Pythons and other species.

Thanks,

Arthroverts