Practical Travel Safety Issues - Bringing stuffed crocodile/croc belts through CBP?

Sort of random question, but I've searched on the Internet and haven't gotten any conclusive answers. Can I bring a taxidermied crocodile from Cambodia though Thailand and Spain and into the US?

It's not an endangered species or wild-caught (it was a farmed animal) and is about 8 inches long. My understanding is that it's perfectly legal. But since it's sort of weird I'm not sure if it's okay to bring in.

I checked the US customs, EU customs and Thailand customs pages and wasn't able to figure out if this is a legal item or not. Any suggestions? Would it be better to just mail it to the US?

Hi,

There is some information on the CDC website which may help;

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/AnimalProducts.html

Regards

TBS

Sort of random question, but I've searched on the Internet and haven't gotten any conclusive answers. Can I bring a taxidermied crocodile from Cambodia though Thailand and Spain and into the US?

It's not an endangered species or wild-caught (it was a farmed animal) and is about 8 inches long. My understanding is that it's perfectly legal. But since it's sort of weird I'm not sure if it's okay to bring in.

I checked the US customs, EU customs and Thailand customs pages and wasn't able to figure out if this is a legal item or not. Any suggestions? Would it be better to just mail it to the US?

You are going to have to provide far more information and documentation then you are providing here. You will have to provide documentation on the exact species of the animal. There are reptiles from that area of the world that are still on the endangered or threatened list. If you don't have the proper paperwork be prepared for the item to be detained for identification or seized as prohibited.

FB

Okay, thanks for your help. I don't have the paperwork and won't be able to get it in time, so I won't bring it with me. Once I get the paperwork I'll mail it. Thanks!

About 5 years ago I knew a guy who was detained for 8 hours by CBP at the Tijuana/San Ysidro land border crossing for possession of dyed chicken feather. Once controversy over the origin of the feather arose, they put the guy in a holding cell for close to 8 hours while some kind of bird expert drove in from Los Angeles, examined the feather under a microscope, and rendered his expert opinion that it was..... a dyed chicken feather.:rolleyes: The guy was released and did get to keep the feather.

I bought a supposedly real crocodile belt today at the downtown Cape Town handicrafts market. Was that a stupid idea?

I have combed many US Govt pages, and it really doesn't say. I see them on eBay. Is there a simple answer?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanx.

Now that I think about it, he had some very cool croc tail keychains! :) I would go back and get one, if someone knows if it's legal or not.

I brought a couple piranhas (dried, stuffed, mounted) from Venezuela....

It's an interesting question. You mentioned a belt - is it legal to purchase a crocodile belt in the US? IOW, if you were wearing it, I wonder if it something that could have been bought in the US, worn to CPT, and worn back home.

Buying a REAL crocodile belt/shoes for personal use is perfectly legal and you do not need paperwork when you come to the USA. If you bought it at a store and want to be on the safe side, ask for an invoice with the species name on it so you can always show it the to CBP officer, if asked.

Buying a stuffed crocodile will require paperwork for importation in the USA.

I know because I import all kinds of finished exotic/non exotic leather into the USA for sale to cowboy bookmakers.

Buying a REAL crocodile belt/shoes for personal use is perfectly legal and you do not need paperwork when you come to the USA. If you bought it at a store and want to be on the safe side, ask for an invoice with the species name on it so you can always show it the to CBP officer, if asked.

Buying a stuffed crocodile will require paperwork for importation in the USA.

I know because I import all kinds of finished exotic/non exotic leather into the USA for sale to cowboy bookmakers.

Thanx! Whew! :D He did have some kind of a paper that he showed me, and when I thought back on in later, perhaps he was trying to give it to me. Something about where they are bred, but I didn't notice any kind of species name on it.

Well, anyway, if I have any problems, I'll just refer them to FlyerTalk!! ;)

Now that this thread made it to TalkMail, perhaps the OP wouldn't mind chiming in here. What happened to the croc? :)

Now that this thread made it to TalkMail, perhaps the OP wouldn't mind chiming in here. What happened to the croc? :)

This thread is 8 months old, so I'm not really sure if the OP is still in touch, or not, but I got my croc belt in with no problems! Now, an even BIGGER problem - - What kind of pants/jeans does it goes with?!?! :D

I know because I import all kinds of finished exotic/non exotic leather into the USA for sale to cowboy bookmakers.

I think you mean cowboy bootmakers. :)

Speaking of which, do you know if Lucchese offers factory tours? Aside from them, are there makers who shouldn't be missed on a trip to El Paso?

Now that this thread made it to TalkMail, perhaps the OP wouldn't mind chiming in here. What happened to the croc? :)

Sorry for the late reply, I just noticed this!

I bought the stuffed crocodile as a silly gift for my brother, but after the advice I got here I decided not to bring it to the States as I didn't have the appropriate paperwork for it. I ended up keeping it myself where it's proudly displayed in my apartment in Cambodia (yes, I'm still here!).