For the first time since 1994, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has expanded the list of animals that can be bought, sold or kept as pets. There are quite a few new additions to the list, including the Argentine black and white tegus, mongooses, Everglades crayfish, and even a type of parakeet. The full list of new species can be found highlighted here.
Owners and sellers have 12 months to adjust to the new rules, to find places for existing animals or shift to a different species for sales. Animals on the list cannot be imported or bred after December 4. The DNR cautioned that the 12 month period should help owners to avoid feeling pressured to make a quick change, which could result in releases into the wild, compounding the problem. Owners are allowed to keep animals that they already owned, as long as they are tagged and registered with the DNR’s Law Enforcement Division.
The new listings are an attempt to further combat invasive species in the state, some of which, like the tegus, are proving to be very adept at adjusting to the Georgia climate and also at eating Georgia native animals, or their eggs. The tegus also mature very quickly, reproduce every year with numerous eggs and live a long time compared to some other species. They are very adaptable eaters, consuming everything from fruits, invertebrates, small vertebrate animals and eggs.
The Georgia DNR is working to eradicate a population in Toombs and Tattnall counties in southeast Georgia. The tegus are known to eat animals of particular importance in Georgia, including quail and turkeys – both very popular game species. They will also eat alligators and gopher tortoises, two protected species. The gopher tortoise is also what is known as a keystone species, meaning it is relied by numerous other species for survival, in this case because of the extensive burrows they dig and then share with other animals.
State law distinguishes wild animals from wildlife native to the state, as well as what are normally considered domestic species. Wild animals are regulated to guard against threats to wildlife, other natural resources or people, or that might create problems enforcing wildlife laws and other regulation. The Board of Natural Resources can add animals to the wild animal list and approved the changes on October 25.
To see the full list of changes: https://georgiawildlife.com/rules-pertaining-wild-animals
