[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 112 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38089-38090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12383]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0090; FXIA16710900000-234-FF09A30000]


Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign 
species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed 
species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before 
issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with 
respect to any endangered species.

DATES: We must receive comments by July 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The applications, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be 
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0090.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0090.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0090; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 
or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies 
to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested 
permits, we will take into consideration any information that we 
receive during the public comment period.
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address 
not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our administrative 
record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see 
DATES).
    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant 
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide 
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will 
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those 
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that 
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and 
regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal

[[Page 38090]]

identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a 
hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such 
as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the 
top of your document that we withhold this information from public 
review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 
Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we 
invite public comments on permit applications before final action is 
taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with 
listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow 
otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance 
the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service 
regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, 
captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity 
otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species 
are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 
17.

III. Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

Endangered Species

Applicant: Sedgewick County Zoo, Wichita, KS; Permit No. PER2475594
    The applicant requests a permit to export to Zoologischer Garten 
Frankfurt, Germany, three female Jamaican iguanas (Cyclura collei), for 
the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. 
This notification is for a single export.
Applicant: Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR; Permit No. PER2525954
    The applicant requests a permit to export to Zool[oacute]gico de 
Cali, Cali, Columbia, four captive-born African painted dogs (Lycaon 
pictus) for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the 
species. This notification is for a single export.
Applicant: University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, 
Athens, GA; Permit No. PER2484762
    The applicant requests a permit to export blood samples of felids 
(Acinonyx jubatus, Felis nigripes, Leopardus pardalis, Leptailurus 
serval, Lynx rufus rufus, Neofelis nebulosa, Panthera leo, Panthera 
onca, Panthera tigris, Panthera tigris altaica, Panthera tigris 
sumatrae, Uncia uncia, and Puma concolor) for the purpose of scientific 
research to Laboklin GMBH & Co.Kg, Labor F[uuml]r Klinisc, Germany. 
This notification is for a single export.
Applicant: Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA; 
Permit No. PER2358970
    The applicant requests the renewal of the permit to export/re-
export and reimport nonliving museum specimens of endangered and 
threatened species previously accessioned into the applicant's 
collection for scientific research. This notification covers activities 
to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 
Washington, DC; Permit No. PER2499014
    The applicant requests a permit to export one male and one female 
captive-bred hooded crane (Grus monacha), as well as one male captive-
bred red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), to the Assiniboine Park Zoo, 
Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada, for the purpose of enhancing the 
propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a 
single export.
Applicant: Virginia Safari Park & Preservation Center, Inc, Natural 
Bridge, VA; Permit No. PER0052428
    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to enhance the propagation 
or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be 
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

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                Common name                        Scientific name
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African penguin...........................  Spheniscus demersus.
Cheetah...................................  Acinonyx jubatus.
Golden-rumped tamarin.....................  Leontopithecus spp.
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Multiple Trophy Applicants
    The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted 
trophies of male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a 
captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of 
South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival 
of the species.

 James Salter, Weatherford, TX; Permit No. PER2392261
 James Stacy, Natchitoches, LA; Permit No. PER2440535
 Donald Brown, Cleveland, MT; Permit No. PER2464642
 Davis Jones, Colleyville, TX; Permit No. 61538D
 George Clark, San Antonio, TX; Permit No. 54418C

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in 
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may 
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2023-12383 Filed 6-9-23; 8:45 am]
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