New Jersey to Ban Import and Possession of CITES Trophies

According to Conservation Force, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has returned two wildlife bills with conditions attached. Those measures would stop residents of the state from bringing in or holding CITES species. Lawmakers are changing the first versions, and approval plus an effective date of May 26 are anticipated.

In their initial form, Senate Bill 977 would have made it unlawful to move, hold, bring in, send out, or sell Big Five animals. Senate Bill 978 would have made it unlawful to hold or move those animals at airports and other sites run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Senator Raymond Lesniak wrote both measures, and Assemblyman Tim Eustace carried them in the Assembly.

The governor’s conditions would still let Big Five animals travel through New Jersey when they do not stay there, while barring trophies that remain in the state. People who already own such items could retain them and would not need to file them with the Department of Environment, a step the first drafts had required. Cape buffalo would no longer be among the animals covered by the bans.