Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 38, September 20, 2024
A. A
wildlife service license authorizes a person to provide, advertise, or offer
assistance in removing the live wildlife listed below to the general public.
For the purposes of this Section, the following wildlife, as defined under
A.R.S. §
17-101(B),
are designated live wildlife:
1. Furbearing
animals;
2. Javelina
(Pecari tajacu);
3. Nongame animals;
4. Predatory animals; and
5. Small game.
B. A wildlife service license is not required
when conducting pest control removal services authorized under A.R.S. §
Title 3, Chapter 20 for the following wildlife not protected under federal
regulation:
1. Rodents, except those in the
family Sciuridae;
2. European
starlings (Sturnus vulgaris);
3. Rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis
roseicollis);
4. House
sparrows (Passer domesticus);
5. Eurasian collared-doves
(Streptopelia decaocto);
6. Rock pigeons (Columba
livia); and
7. Any other non-native wildlife species.
C. A wildlife service license
allows a person to conduct activities that facilitate the removal and
relocation of live wildlife listed under subsection (A) when the wildlife
causes property damage, poses a threat to public health or safety, or if the
health or well-being of the wildlife is threatened by its immediate
environment. Authorized activities include, but are not limited to, capture,
removal, transportation, and relocation.
D. The wildlife service license expires on
the last day of the third December from the date of issuance.
E. An employee of a governmental public
safety agency is not required to possess a wildlife service license when the
employee is acting within the scope of the employee's official
duties.
F. In addition to the
requirements established under this Section, a wildlife service license holder
shall comply with the special license requirements established under
R12-4-409.
G. The wildlife service
license holder shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable
regulatory requirements; the license does not:
1. Exempt the license holder from any
municipal, county, state, or federal codes, ordinances, statutes, rules, or
regulations; or
2. Authorize the
license holder to engage in authorized activities using federally-protected
wildlife, unless the license holder possesses a valid license, permit, or other
form of documentation issued by the United States authorizing the license
holder to use that wildlife in a manner consistent with the special
license.
H. The
Department shall deny a wildlife service license to a person who fails to meet
the requirements established under R12-4-409 or this Section or when the
person's wildlife service privileges are suspended or revoked in any state. The
Department shall provide the written notice established under R12-4-409(F)(4)
to the applicant stating the reason for the denial. The person may appeal the
denial to the Commission as prescribed under A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6,
Article 10.
I. An applicant for a
wildlife service license shall submit an application to the Department. The
application is furnished by the Department and is available from any Department
office and on the Department's website. An applicant shall provide the
following information on the application:
1.
The applicant's information:
a.
Name;
b. Mailing address;
c. Telephone number;
d. Physical description, to include the
applicant's eye color, hair color, height, and weight; and;
e. Department ID number, when
applicable;
2. If the
applicant will perform license activities for a commercial purpose, the
applicant's business:
a. Name;
b. Mailing address;
c. Telephone number;
and
d. Hours and days of the week the applicant will be
available for service;
3. The designated wildlife species or groups
of species listed under subsection (A) that will be removed under the
license;
4. The methods that the
wildlife license holder will use to perform authorized activities;
5. The general geographic area where services
will be performed;
6. Any other
information required by the Department; and
7. The certification required under
R12-4-409(C).
J. In
addition to the requirements listed under subsection (I), at the time of
application, an applicant for a wildlife service license shall also submit:
1. Proof the applicant has a minimum of six
months full-time employment or volunteer experience handling wildlife of the
species or groups designated on the application; and
2. A written proposal that contains all of
the following information:
a. Applicant's
experience in the capture, handling, and removal of wildlife;
b. Specific species the applicant has
experience capturing, handling, or removing;
c. General location and dates when the
activities were performed;
d.
Methods used to carry out the activities;
e. The methods used to dispose of the
wildlife.
K.
When renewing a license without change to the species or species groups
authorized under the current license, the wildlife service license holder may
reference supporting materials previously submitted in compliance with
subsection (J).
L. An applicant
for a wildlife service license shall pay all applicable fees required under
R12-4-412.
M. A wildlife service
license holder shall:
1. Comply with all
additional stipulations placed on the license by the Department, as authorized
under R12-4-409(H).
2. Facilitate
the removal and relocation of designated wildlife in a manner that:
a. Is least likely to cause injury to the
wildlife; and
b. Will prevent the
wildlife from coming into contact with the general public.
3. Obtain special authorization from the
Department regional office that has jurisdiction over the area where the
activities will be conducted when performing any activities involving
javelina.
4. Release captured
designated wildlife only as follows:
a.
Without immediate threat to the animal or potentially injurious contact with
humans;
b. During an ecologically
appropriate time of year;
c. Into a
suitable habitat;
d. In the same
geographic area as the animal was originally captured, except that birds may be
released at any location statewide within the normal range of that species in
an ecological suitable habitat; and
e. In an area designated by the Department
regional office that has jurisdiction over the area where it was
captured.
5. Euthanize
the wildlife using the safest, quickest, and most humane method
available.
6. Dispose of all
wildlife that is euthanized or that otherwise dies while possessed under the
license by burial or incineration within 30 days of death, unless otherwise
directed by the Department.
7.
Possess the license or legible copy of the license while conducting any
wildlife service activity and presents it for inspection upon the request of
any Department employee or agent.
8. Inform the Department in writing within
five working days of any change in telephone number, area of service, or
business hours or days.
9. Maintain
records associated with the license for a period of five years following the
date of disposition.
N.
A wildlife service license holder may submit to the Department a written
request to amend the license to add or delete authority to control and release
designated species of wildlife, provided the request meets the requirements of
this Section.
O. A wildlife
service license holder shall not:
1. Exhibit
wildlife or parts of wildlife possessed under the license.
2. Possess designated wildlife beyond the
period necessary to transport and relocate or euthanize the wildlife.
3. Retain any parts of wildlife.
P. A wildlife service license
holder may:
1. Euthanize designated wildlife
only when authorized by the Department.
2. Give injured or orphaned wildlife to a
wildlife rehabilitation license holder.
Q. A wildlife service license holder shall
submit an annual report to the Department before January 31 of each year on
activities performed under the license for the previous calendar year. The
report form is furnished by the Department.
1.
A report is required regardless of whether or not activities were performed
during the previous year.
2. The
wildlife service license becomes invalid if the annual report is not submitted
to the Department by January 31 of each year.
3. The Department will not process the
special license holder's renewal application until the annual report is
received by the Department.
4. The
annual report shall provide a list of all services performed under the license
to include:
a. The date and location of
service;
b. The number and species
of wildlife removed, and
c. The
method of disposition for each animal removed, including the location and date
of release.
R. A wildlife service license holder shall
comply with the requirements established under R12-4-409 and
R12-4-428.
