Abstract
BACKGROUND
On January 15, 1980, new import rules for personally owned pet birds will take effect. These USDA rules apply to all countries except Canada. They are stricter than previous regulations because of the increasing threat of exotic Newcastle disease, a costly foreign disease of poultry and other birds. If this disease got into the United States, it could cost an estimated $230 million a year.
IF YOU ARE BRING A PET BIRD INTO THE UNITED STATES, YOU MUST:
Quarantine your bird (or birds) for at least 30 days in a USDA-operated facility at one of the nine ports of entry listed on the reverse. The bird, which must be caged, will be transferred to a special isolation cage at the import facility. It will be cared for by veterinarians and other personnel of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Reserve quarantine space for the bird.
A bird without a reservation will be refused entry or transported, at your expense, to another entry port where there is space. In any case, the fee described below must be paid before the bird is accepted.
Pay USDA an advance fee of $40 to be applied to the cost of quarantine services and necessary tests and examinations. Currently, costs are expected to average $80 for one bird or $100 per isolation cage if you put more than one bird in a cage. These charges may change without notice. You may also have to pay private companies for brokerage and trucking services to move the bird from the port of entry to the USDA import facility.
Obtain a health certificate in the nation of origin. This must be signed by a national government veterinarian within 30 days of arrival. It must state that the bird has been examined, shows no evidence of communicable disease, and is being exported in accordance with the laws of that country. If not in English, it must be translated at your cost. Please note that Form 17-23 includes an acceptable health certificate in English.
Arrange for shipping the bird to its final destination when it is released from quarantine.
Bting no more than two psittacine birds (parrots, parakeets and other hookbills) per family into the United States during any one year. Larger groups of these birds are imported under separate rules for commercial shipments of birds. There is no limit on the number of other types of personally owned pet birds that may be brought into the country.
PORTS OF ENTRY
Listed below are the nine ports of entry for personally owned pet birds. To reserve quarantine space for your bird, write to the city where you' II be arriving and enclose a certified check for $40. (Form 17 -23 should be used to make the reservation; you can get a copy by writing to Import-Export Staff, Veterinary Services, APHIS, USDA, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Also direct any questions on any of the new import regulations to this Hyattsville address.
Mail the form and check to: Port Veterinarian, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, (CITY, ST A TE, ZIP CODE) New York, NY 11430
Laredo, TX 78040
San Ysidro, CA 92073 Honolulu, HI 96850 Miami, FL 33152
El Paso, TX 79902
Los Angeles, (mailing address:
Lawndale, CA 90261) Brownsville, TX 78520 Nogales, AZ 85621
THE QUARANTINE PERIOD
During quarantine, pet birds will be kept in individually-controlled isolation cages to prevent any infection from spreading. Psittacine or hookbilled birds will be identified with a leg band. They will be fed a medicated feed as required by the U.S. Public Health Service to prevent psittacosis, a flu-like disease transmissible to humans. Food and water will be readily available to the birds. Special diets will be fed at an added charge, if furnished by the owner. Young, immature birds needing daily hand-feeding cannot be accepted because removing them from the cage for feeding would interrupt the 30-day quarantine. During the quarantine, APHIS veterinarians will test the birds to make certain they are free of any communicable disease of poultry. Infected birds will be refused entry; at the owner's option they will either be returned to the country of origin (at the owner's expense) or humanely destroyed.
BIRDS FROM CANADA
The new quarantine rules do not apply to birds from Canada, but there is a two-bird limit per family per year on psittacine birds. You may bring in pet birds from Canada on your signed statement that they have been in your possession at least 90 days, were kept separate from other birds during this period, and are healthy. They will be inspected by an APHIS veterinarian at designated ports of entry.
U.S. BIRDS TAKEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY
If you make special provisions in advance, the new rules do not apply to pet birds taken out of the United States for 60 days or less, except for the two psittacine bird limit. Before leaving the country, you must get a health certificate from a veterinarian accredited by USDA and make certain the bird is identified with a tattoo or numbered leg band. The bird's identification must be on the health certificate which must be presented at the time of re-entry. While out of the country, you must keep the bird separate from other birds.
RARE BIRDS
U.S. Department of Interior regulations require an inspection of all imported birds to assure they are not in the rare or endangered species category, are not illegally imported migratory birds or agricultural pests, and are not injurious to humans. For details, contact the Division of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.