Shipping the skulls home

I'm going to be hunting in April, and will be taking a Cape Buffalo, and have been thinking about taking a Warthog and a Baboon. Now, any advice on getting just the prepared skulls home is appreciated, I live in Canada for reference. Will the Warthog or Baboon overly complicate things, and should I forget trying to bring those skulls back? Any advice is appreciated.

Maybe Skyline will respond to this as he lives in Canada.

The warthog and baboon might complicate things a bit. They will have to be shipped in separate containers (at least according to US reqs, not sure about Canada). My baboon never made it but my warthogs did. Heck, it's worth a shot i would think. Just not sure how much more expensive dipping and shipping a separate container with the baboon and warthog will be.

Ardent, I am not familiar with the importation procedures for sport hunted trophies into Canada however I can say that as long as you have the proper paperwork in place that you should not have any difficulties bringing the skulls back. Also having the skulls fully taxidermied or treated before exportation so that they are non-infectious, might ease the importation process.

I have an article regarding Permits & Importation Procedures for Sport Hunted Trophies, click here to check it out. Some of the information only applies to the US however you might find some useful CITES information and links.

If anyone has information pertaining to Permits & Importation Procedures for Sport Hunted Trophies into Canada that would be great!

Attached a pdf document on Guidelines for U.S. Hunters for Importing Personal Sport-hunted Trophies from Africa.

Ardent............I don't believe you will have any problems. As long as you have the necessary export permits and certificates from the country you have hunted in, there should not be an issue. However, in case there is something new I have not heard about I have a call into a taxidermist friend of mine who receives African shipments on a regular basis and I will check with him and let you know.

It is important to realize that much of what gets talked about on the internet tends to be focused on US requirements and problems..........many of which the rest of us do not have to deal with. Importing sport trophies into Canada is on a whole much easier than with the US. Canada goes with the flow on decisions made by CITES. The warthog/swine issues with importing into the US are from the US Department of Agriculture and the monkey/ape issues are with the CDC (think I have that right).

Ardent if you check on the Canadian Wildlife Service websites or the Canadian CITES website there is all kinds of info on the different species and paperwork required. Generally speaking if it is not on the various CITES appendix lists you just need regular export permits, etc.

I'll get back to you on this.

Canada Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
http://www.cites.ec.gc.ca/
CITES is an international agreement to regulate trade in specific species of wild animals and plants, as well as their respective parts and derivatives.


Environment Canada
http://www.ec.gc.ca/
Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for CITES implementation in Canada.


The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA)
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/W-8.5/S...263/index.html
WAPPRIITA is the legislation used to implement CITES in Canada and by which Canada meets its obligations under CITES.


Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS)
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/
CWS agency handles wildlife matters that are the responsibility of the federal government. This includes the protection and management of migratory birds and nationally important wildlife habitat, endangered species, research on nationally important wildlife issues, control of international trade in endangered species, and international treaties.

As for importing hunting trophies for those of us living in Canada, I finally got a competent answer from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Tanned skins, processed skulls and finished taxidermy can be shipped directly to your home. Dip and Pack orders have to be shipped to an accredited taxidermist (accredited by CFIA). These taxidermists are approved for properly disinfecting salted capes. As per my taxidermist, many dip and pack orders are not held by Customs. Advisable to try and ship at your home or taxidermist and if the shipment is ever held at Customs, only then arrange to have them shipped to the accredited Company.

Canadian CITES are also required for specific animals and Export papers provided by the local taxidermist in the country you hunted.

Thanks bmbclnts for sharing this information with us.

Ardent, I live in Canada and have often imported the animals you mentioned, among others. My experience is this:

1. Customs will almost always hold the shipments, if only to collect GST (goods and services tax for non-Canadians). They want GST on the trophy fees. In one case where the shipper in Africa put a low number on the sable (likely trying to do me a favour), the inspector told me that based on her information for Zimbabwe, sable trophy fees were $x, and she was dead on.

2. If you have any CITES species in the mix, they will want to see the CITES permits. Baboons are all on Appendix II (all primates not on Appendix I are deemed to be on Appendix II), so would need an export permit (but no import permit). Your shipper should provide that or Customs could (should) confiscate the skull. Customs will likely have the Environment Canada inspectors at the port of entry look at the shipment.

3. Customs may also, but not always, have the Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspector look at the shipment.

All of this is seamless to you if you hire a customs broker to clear the shipment. I've never done that, since it's so easy to do it yourself. Once you are advised that the shipment has arrived and is being held in bond, you take your paperwork to the local Customs office (the commercial office, not the airport), and they will have you pay the GST, and then will arrange for all of the inspections to take place. A few days later, they'll call you to tell you the shipment has been released, or the company holding the shipment will let you know it's been released.

Things would be a bit different if the shipment comes in as regular mail instead of cargo. Of course, that's for smaller shipments, and I hope you got more trophies than that! Mailed packages are dealt with in the same way as any other commercial mail. You may or may not get dinged for GST or the $5 per package charge. Depends on what they say is in the package and if Customs feels like having a look.

In any event, none of this is rocket science, and if you're reasonably polite with the Customs people, they will help non-commercial importers through the process.

Hope this helps.

How may clients contact the National Import Service Centre?
If you need some further information besides the CITES info here is a centre you can call for help about other import regulations regarding animal parts.

National Import Service Centre
7:00 a.m. to 03:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)
Telephone and EDI: 1-800-835-4486 (Canada or U.S.A.)
Telephone: 1-905-795-7834 (local calls and all other countries)
Facsimile: 1-905-795-9658

You have received some great info. The only thing that I would add is that ORIGINAL paperwork must accompany your trophies. I'm not sure why, but Canadian Wildlife Services is fussy about this.
Good luck, Mike

What original paperwork are we talking about.

I'm speaking of veterenary documents. I had a photo-copy of these docs once and had to wait for the originals to be sent befor I could retain my stuff. I also had to pay storage while I waited.
Mike