NARBC Arlington and CITES Amphibian Trade ReviewVendors come from across the U.S. and this show draws attendees from many states.

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NARBC Arlington and CITES Amphibian Trade Review

This show just keeps getting better and this will be another great one!

When a nonnative species is listed under ESA, even domestically born and bred animals can no longer be sold in interstate commerce by private breeders.

Updates to Endangered Species Act, Lacey Act Amendments
New 2023 CITES Herp Listings
Illegal Wildlife Trafficker In Florida Sentenced To 90 Days Home Detention

This show just keeps getting better and this will be another great one! There will be tons to see and if it is herp-related, it will be there. Vendors come from across the U.S. and this show draws attendees from many states. Herp keepers should be headed to the Dallas area this weekend.

Do not forget about the USARK benefit auction on Saturday night following the show. The auction has both live and silent portions so there are opportunities for everyone. Show attendees can come and hang out with the vendors while enjoying the always amusing antics performed by Brian Potter. Thank you to all of the donors who make these fundraisers possible!

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USARK appreciates the continued support from Bob, Brian, and the NARBC crew.

USARK always needs volunteers at reptile shows we attend and we cannot thank those who help us enough. You are HUGE contributors to making our mission possible. We can use 6-8 volunteers on Saturday (throughout the afternoon and evening for auction purposes) and 2-4 people on Sunday (for 1-2 hours). If you can help, email vanessa@usark.org. Please note that volunteers must represent USARK and the herp community professionally and maturely.

Show Schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 23: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Benefit Auction (Sheraton Hotel): Auction preview (room opens) at 5:30. The auction will start at 6:00.
The auction is FREE and open to everyone.
Sunday, Sept. 24: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Show location:
Arlington Convention Center
1200 Ballpark Way
Arlington, TX 76011
(The auction will be at the Sheraton hotel next door to the show.)

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More information at https://www.narbc.com/.

From NARBC: “The auction is our way of supporting USARK. It’s a great time for getting together after the show Saturday night with friends from all over the world. If you don’t know who USARK is, you need to find out. The night includes an auction with 100% of the proceeds going to USARK. We ask that everyone attending give something for the auction. Your help will be returned to you as USARK fights for our rights to own and sell herps.”

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY2h2-HtfME&t=29s.

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New Shirt For Sale + USARK Info Cards

Buy the shirt at https://usark.org/product/shirt-tarantula/.
Buy info cards at https://usark.org/shop/ (three options).

Artist edition shirt! The tarantula artwork was created by Adeline Robinson Artat https://www.adelinerobinsonart.com. This screen-printed, cotton/polyester blend shirt is extremely soft and wrinkle-resistant with a slightly modern fit (but true to size). U.S. domestic shipping is free! Plus, one USARK sticker per shirt is included. No international shipping at this time. NOTE: Most shirts will arrive in 10 business days or less (but there may be delays). You will receive tracking via email when your order ships.

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CITES Amphibian Trade Review

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is conducting a review of the global amphibian trade. As part of this effort, CITES and The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have developed a questionnaire to gather information on amphibians, including the following:

  1. the levels of international trade in amphibians (legal and illegal);
  2. captive breeding of amphibians;
  3. threat of diseases to and from amphibians in trade;
  4. and the national/regional (and/or local) management, enforcement and regulatory priorities of amphibians in international trade.

Read the CITES announcement and take the survey (link on the second page) at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/23-CITES-amphibians.pdf.

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Additional information and any inquiries relating to the survey should be submitted by email to the IUCN at Oliver.Tallowin@iucn.org and copy to info@cites.org.

Potential ESA Listings

UPDATE 8/17/23: This has been posted in the Federal register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/17/2023-17726/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-90-day-findings-for-five-species.

On September 17,  the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) posted this document in the Federal Register (found on our website at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/23-borneo-earless-ESA.pdf). FWS will be considering these species to be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): Bornean earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis), blue tree monitor lizard (Varanus macraei), bleached sandhill skipper (Polites sabuleti sinemaculata), and pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).

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When a nonnative species is listed under ESA, even domestically born and bred animals can no longer be sold in interstate commerce by private breeders. This is actually anti-conservation as these animals in the wild face habitat decimation, and poaching for medicinal, food, and other purposes. Rather than allowing the global population of a species to grow to conserve species, ESA listings prevent that from happening in the U.S.

The petition was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity. We will post links and updates at https://usark.org/23esa2/ when available.

You can read more about the problems caused by the ESA listing of nonnative species at https://usark.org/23esa/.

ALERT: Lacey Act Amendments

UPDATE: We have updated our alert with links to contact all sponsors and co-sponsors of the two Lacey Act amendment bills now in Congress. Please check if you are a constituent of any of the listed legislators and then take action if you are. Thank you! Check out our latest video about this on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmtZM7u2Vvk&t=28s.

Find more details and a comprehensive FAQ at https://usark.org/23lacey/. We will be updating this alert.

USARK Hats are Available Online

Our shop is open at https://usark.org/shop/ (or just click the “Shop” link in the menu on our website). We currently have two shirts and three hats available for sale.

Find A Vet

Need a good herp veterinarian? The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) can help. ARAV provides a free Find-A-Vet service at http://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661.