HARRY HUGHES, Governor

3891

(a) A person may not import into Maryland, offer for
sale, trade, barter or exchange as a household pet any live
fox, skunk, raccoon, bear [alligator, cayman, crocodile,
poisonous snake, or] member of the cat family other than the
domestic cat, OR ANY POISONOUS SNAKES SPECIFICALLY IN THE
FAMILY GROUPS OF HYDROPHIDAE; ELAPIDAE, VIPERIDAE, OR

CROTOLIDAE. However, a person may offer these species for

sale, trade, barter, import, or exchange to a public zoo,
park, museum, [or] educational institution, OR TO A PERSON
HOLDING VALID STATE OR FEDERAL PERMITS, for educational,
medical, scientific, or exhibition purposes.

(a) (1) A person may not import into Maryland, offer
for sale, trade, barter or exchange as a household pet any
live:

(I) [fox] FOX, skunk, raccoon, OR bear[,];

(XI) [alligator] ALLIGATOR[, cayman,] OR
crocodile[, poisonous snake, or member];

(III)  MEMBER of the cat family other than
the domestic cat[.]; OR

(IV) ANY POISONOUS SNAKES SPECIFICALLY IN
THE FAMILY GROUPS OF HYDROPHIDAE, ELAPIDAE, VIPERIDAE, OR
CROTOLIDAE.

(2) [However, a] NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS
OF PARAGRAPH 1 OF THIS SUBSECTION, A person may offer these
species for sale, trade, barter, import, or exchange to a
public zoo, park, museum, [or] educational institution, OR
TO A PERSON HOLDING VALID STATE OR FEDERAL PERMITS for
educational, medical, scientific, or exhibition purposes.

(b)  Any person violating this section shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, in the case of an
individual, shall be fined not more than $1,000; or in the
case of any person other than an individual, by a fine of
not more than $10,000.

(c)  Exempted from this subsection are those species of
wildlife not being kept as household pets and which are
individually exempted by a permit issued by the Department
of Natural Resources.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act
shall take effect July 1, 1982.

Approved June 1, 1982.