The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is taking public comment on a proposed rule change that would add the callitrichidae family, which includes marmosets and tamarins, to the list of banned exotic species.
The commission is holding a public hearing on the matter on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks headquarters in Helena. All written public comment on the issue must be submitted by Sept. 30.
The reason behind the proposed rule change is that callitrichids generally have a nervous disposition and potentially unpredictable and aggressive behavior. These require very specialized handling and housing techniques much beyond those of typical pet store animals.
marmoset – photo from primates.com
Under statute, the Fish and Wildlife Commission has the authority to set rules regulating importation, possession and sale of exotic wildlife.
Written data, views or arguments may also be submitted to: Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Attn: Beth Giddings, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, Montana, 59620-0701; or e-mail fwpexotics@mt.gov.
For more information on the proposed rule change, look on the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/rules/pn_0214.html.
News Release provided by Montana FWP. Photo Credit to primate.com and Wikipedia.com
