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Post by amytoast on Sept 30, 2016 5:40:01 GMT
Hello!
I'm hoping some of you in this forum will know about this particular situation - it sure seems like there's a lot of insect pros in this community.
My friend wants to buy 400 pairs of (real) butterfly wing earrings from a popular Thai tourist market and send them via airmail from Thailand to Canada. It's not the whole butterfly, just the wings, and they've been coated and turned into earrings.
We've tried to find laws online, but it's all rather confusing. I understand she can't do this with CITES 1 and 2 listed butterflies (right?), but, she has no way of identifying the species of butterfly wings being used - they're all just a random, vast variety of different species.
1) Surely butterfly earrings being sold at the market are not CITES 1 and 2 listed species? 2) Is it legal to buy 400 of them from the Thai market, and send/export them by airmail to Canada? 3) Is it legal to receive/import 400 butterfly wing earrings by mail from Thailand into Canada? 4) Does it require any paperwork/forms/permits, or can she just buy them and send them from the post office?
Thank you very much in advance - we want to make sure my friend does everything right and lawfully!
Amy
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Post by Paul K on Sept 30, 2016 6:08:48 GMT
Hello! I'm hoping some of you in this forum will know about this particular situation - it sure seems like there's a lot of insect pros in this community. My friend wants to buy 400 pairs of (real) butterfly wing earrings from a popular Thai tourist market and send them via airmail from Thailand to Canada. It's not the whole butterfly, just the wings, and they've been coated and turned into earrings. We've tried to find laws online, but it's all rather confusing. I understand she can't do this with CITES 1 and 2 listed butterflies (right?), but, she has no way of identifying the species of butterfly wings being used - they're all just a random, vast variety of different species. 1) Surely butterfly earrings being sold at the market are not CITES 1 and 2 listed species? 2) Is it legal to buy 400 of them from the Thai market, and send/export them by airmail to Canada? 3) Is it legal to receive/import 400 butterfly wing earrings by mail from Thailand into Canada? 4) Does it require any paperwork/forms/permits, or can she just buy them and send them from the post office? Thank you very much in advance - we want to make sure my friend does everything right and lawfully! Amy Hi Amy 1. No, you can not be sure if the wings are not from CITES listed species because they are sold at the market. Thai people usually don't know about CITES or protected species laws ( well at least most of them ) and as long as they can sell and make living out of it ( which in terms of insects is more rational than cutting forest for profit ) they will sell CITES species. I have seen many Troides sp. butterflies for sale at markets and souvenir shops which are covered by CITES, also earings made out of the hind wings of Troides which are beautiful yellow marked on black background sealed in plastic. 2. It is legal to to buy and send by mail ( if not CITES species ) 3. It is legal to receive them in Canada ( if not CITES species ), one will have to pay duty as large quantities of product hard to explain for personal use. 4. Your friend can buy those earrings and send to Canada without any paper work or permits if the wings are not belong to CITES. Paul
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Post by cabintom on Sept 30, 2016 6:16:46 GMT
Bringing non-CITES insects into Canada is not illegal, and (at least for non-commercial purposes) quite simple. I haven't dealt with mailing specimens though, so I'm not sure what their process is for verification of the contents...
When walking stuff through the border you have to declare it, and I've been told that providing a list of the species I'm importing would help as well.
Last time I went through, they asked me to open only a couple of close to hundred paper envelopes I had... but I think that was almost more out of curiosity than anything. So, either they're not terribly concerned, or I seemed trustworthy.
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Post by Paul K on Sept 30, 2016 6:37:04 GMT
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