The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, has staffed Wildlife Inspectors at two new locations in the Southwest Region. Wildlife inspection services may now be authorized by permit for Phoenix, Arizona, and McAllen, Texas. A Wildlife Inspector is in place to service the Phoenix/Sky Harbor International Airport and may be reached at the Mesa, Arizona, Law Enforcement Office at (480) 967-7900, ext. 107. The Wildlife Inspector located in McAllen will service the border areas of McAllen, Pharr, and Rio Grande City, Texas. The Wildlife Inspector may be reached at the McAllen, Texas, Law Enforcement Office at (956) 686-8591.
Importers/exporters will be required to obtain a designated port exception permit in most instances prior to import/export of either commercial or personal wildlife shipments at these locations. Please contact the Regional Permit Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for information on obtaining the designated port exception permit by calling (505) 248-7891 or by email to: permitsR2LE@fws.gov
Additional information about the import and export of wildlife and necessary forms may be obtained by visiting the Service's permits website at: http://www.fws.gov/permits
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for
conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. Visit the Services website at http://www.fws.gov.
