Fur Coats, Stuffed Animals, Taxidermy, Cites Items, Horse Saddles and Riding Gear

Fur Coats/Stuffed Animals/Taxidermy/Cites Items (Shells, Rocks, Sand) and CITES Items/Horse Saddles and Riding Gear

Mink, wolf, fox and rabbit coats if genuine, are able to be imported however verification that they have been prepared appropriately by a certified furrier etc., will need to be provided.  Failing that, Australian Quarantine will take the furs and have them authenticated and verify they have been treated appropriately then if that is the case they will then be returned to the client.  It is important also, the animals are not on the CITES Endangered Species List in which a CITES Import Permit is required (see below).

Stuffed animals (as long as the species is not listed in the Endangered List on the CITES website) may be imported as long as they are accompanied by a Certificate from a qualified taxidermist noting the animal, species and what the material is which has been used for the stuffing.  In the case of deer antlers for example, a certificate from a qualified taxidermist will be required to demonstrate approved methods of preservation have been used. If this Certificate is not available, the specimen will be examined closely for any contaminated material and will be released if clean.  

Clients may search on the CITES website to establish if the species is endangered and whether a CITES Import Permit may be required http://checklist.cites.org/#/en 

Items such as mounted animal heads if approved by CITES above would still most likely be subject to Quarantine Inspection and steps over and above those normally included in the standard Quarantine Inspection fee for HHGPE shipments.  This may involve Quarantine removing the item to a testing facility (and returning it to our depot later) before they decide whether to release the item or order it for treatment. As a rule of thumb the additional inspection fee involved is $200 and any form of treatment ordered would be a further cost depending on the type of treatment ordered.

If your client is planning to ship shells, rocks, items containing sand and the like, you should contact us with full details/description (and photographs of the items) prior to shipping them in order we may refer them to Customs.  Many such items are able to be imported but there are some exceptions. Where possible these items should be thoroughly washed prior to shipping.

The term ‘pre-CITES’ (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is applied to any specimen that has been taken from the wild prior to the date the species was listed under CITES. Pre-CITES (or Pre- Convention) certificates are issued by CITES Management Authorities and certify that a particular CITES specimen was acquired before the Convention applied to it.

Import

To import or export specimens that were acquired before their listing under CITES, you need an appropriately issued pre-CITES certificate from the country of export. The CITES Management Authority would need to be satisfied that the specimen was indeed acquired before that date, before issuing the certificate.

Contact CITES Management Authority in another country: 

https://cites.org/cms/index.php/component/cp 

There is no legal requirement to apply for a Permit before importing a specimen that has a pre-CITES Certificate from the country of export. However, you are required to declare the importation, and it is recommended that you provide a copy of the overseas Pre-CITES Certificate to the Department. This will ensure that the import is recorded and that the Department has evidence of legal import of your pre-CITES specimen(s) into Australia. This may be important if you wish to re-export the specimen(s) at a later stage.

Commonly shipped pianos with ivory keys may be imported into Australia in Personal and Household Effects consignments as long as PRE-CITES Certificate from country of export has been obtained.  A PRE-CITES Import Permit into Australia is not required.

Horse saddles/riding gear/tack needs to be declared on the Customs Declaration B534 (Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement) and be clearly marked on the packing list/inventory so we can locate it easily as Quarantine will want to inspect it.  Almost certainly Quarantine will order these items for VIRKON disinfectant treatment (done at our depot) for which the costs are approximately $75 per item (minimum $150).

Very large items eg., horse float, the charges will be on a case-by-case basis depending on the size and time required to scrub down the item with the VIRKON disinfectant, but could be in the vicinity of $300 to $350.

The charges outlined for VIRKON treatment include the cost of the VIRKON, labour in performing the cleaning, administration involved and Quarantine/DAFF Reinspection.