Pennsylvania native amphibian (and reptile) laws.

[teslas intern]

In my quest to obtain grey tree frogs, I finally broke down and e-mailed the fish and boat commission of PA to figure out how legal it actually is. The conversation that followed was amusing, and I think it may be informative for Pennsylvanians who are interested in native species. Posted here for your information, in its entirety...


Dear sir or ma'am, I'm a bit of an exotic pet enthusiast, and I would like to catch a few Eastern Gray Tree Frogs, and keep them as pets. I'm a bit confused however... This page Summary of Pennsylvania Fishing Laws and Regulations - Reptiles and Amphibians - Seasons and Limits seems to indicate that I can catch one per day, some questions.
1: What is a "possession limit" in this context? The total amount you are allowed to keep period, or just the amount you are allowed to transport from the field per day?
2: Do I need a fishing license or any kind of permit to catch these guys.
Please note, I want to keep 5 or 6 frogs, I have no intention of selling them nor releasing them back into the wild. I am well acquainted with frog husbandry, I even breed my own frog food... They are just a really cool frog and I'd like to own a few.
3: My third and final question, I'd like to experiment with breeding these guys, not for sale, just to release them near my house. Is this legal? Thanks!


The first response...


Your question was recently forwarded to me. I am a biologist in the Natural Diversity Section of the Fish and Boat Commission and we deal with questions and issues pertaining to reptiles and amphibians.
You may legally buy, breed, sell, or trade only non-native species of reptiles or amphibians in Pennsylvania. For a list of our native species, see PA Native Amphibian and Reptile Species. You are allowed to possess one of each native species not listed as threatened/endangered or as a species of concern. However, you are not allowed to breed these species or sell the offspring. The possession limit refers to the number in your possession at any time. Please refer to the Fishing License summary book for the list of no take, possession, catch or kill species. http://fishinpa.com/repamp.html . Yes, you would need a fishing license in order to collect native herps.
I would suggest that you consider frog species that can be purchased in pet stores that would be legal to have as multiple animals.
Sincerely,
Kathy Gipe
Herpetologist/Nongame Biologist
Natural Diversity Section
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
450 Robinson Lane
Bellefonte, PA 16823
814-359-5186
c-kgipe@pa.gov


As a side note, if Kathy happens to be on the frog forum, thank you for your response, and I hope you don't mind me spreading this information. At any rate, the reply seemed a bit canned, and I still had some confusion, so I replied...


Thanks Kathy,
I already have some non-native species (White's tree frogs) and they are fantastic pets with tons of personality, but the Grey's have a special place in my heart, so I'd still like to own one. Granted I'd like at least a pair as they are semi-social animals, but there are others in my house who fish so, that should be no big deal. My final question is concerning tadpoles, this page Summary of Pennsylvania Fishing Laws and Regulations - Reptiles and Amphibians - Seasons and Limits says the possession limit is 15 on eggs and tadpoles of mixed species, but I seem to remember reading somewhere it is illegal to release native animals after they have been in captivity for 30 days, so if one was to collect tadpoles, and they turned into frogs, would one be allowed to keep them, or is the official state position the the excess animals be terminated? (which seems silly, but I can understand the reasoning from a parasite/disease standpoint) Thanks again!


The response form Kathy...


Scott,
Yes, you have discovered a couple of the loopholes and points of confusion in our regulations. These were actually carefully crafted in order to protect wild populations of these animals that are very sensitive to changes in their environment, but also continue to foster and encourage education and a love of these animals, particularly in children.
The egg to tadpole to adult possession is a tricky question. I believe that it would be considered legal to release the frogs after metamorphosis when you would be over the possession limit, but only if you are returning them to the place where you collected the eggs or tadpoles. In Chapter 79 Section 11 of the PA Fish and Boat code, there is a general rule stated that reintroductions should be at the point of capture, within 30 days of capture, during the active season, and that the amphibian or reptile has been quarantined from others during captivity. Amphibian populations in the wild are threatened by the spread of several diseases, which may have originally been introduced to the wild from captive stock. Thus, it is actually a better bet to destroy them or find homes for them rather than re-release them if there is any risk of disease transmission. In general, however, we do not discourage education efforts related to herps, as long as it is done with the best interest of the critters in mind. Please use your best judgement in dealing with the situation.
Sincerely,
Kathy


A very level headed response, and one I appreciated. I responded...


Kathy, Thanks, that is perfect. I completely understand the intent now. It is kind of a fuzzy line with the whole pet keeping thing, animals in captivity are susceptible to disease, especially when imported from other areas, and kept in poor conditions during transit, but at the same time watching tadpoles grow, and even keeping native species in a classroom or other can be a great tool for teaching. In any event I would never do anything to risk native populations, which is why I contacted you guys, rather than just going out and doing it... Thanks again, and have an excellent day!


Anyway I forwarded this information to the frog forum for others to use and interpret as they will, happy frogging!

[LilyPad]

I am not sure what you're questioning. It appears pretty clear cut. You can possess one. Greys are really great but if you want to experiment with breeding, I would take Kathy's advice and do it with a species that you're allowed to. That being said, I have 4, and if they were ever to breed (have found them in amplexus many times) I would likely dump them in the pond behind the house. They were all WC in this area though, and are kept in a completely different room and use different equipment than my other frogs. Less chance of them getting some sort of parasite or diseases that could be passed on to other frogs in the wild. I also wouldn't purposely breed them, as that is illegal in my state also. If I ever want to intentionally breed a frog, I would do it with my reds, so that I'm following all my state laws.

[teslas intern]

I'm not questioning anything at this point, I just thought it was a useful exchange worth posting. At any rate, I would still like to have more than one frog, and from what I gathered from this exchange, is that it is perfectly legal to do that as long as each one has a separate human owner (the first loophole, and one I plan on exploiting). I also think it would be useful for others to post the laws in their respective states and Providences, etc, on here just for reference... Laws are convoluted enough, without being difficult to find. I do agree though, I have no plans on dabbling in breeding native species, I have a goldfish pond for that, and they don't need my help! I just wanted clarification on whether it was legal or not, if release was your intention. In any event this was for informative purposes for those who weren't sure, as for my personal questions, I have my answers at this point.