The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 10 : Conservation and Development
Chapter 124 : Trade in Covered Animal Parts or Products
(Cite as: 10 V.S.A. § 5501)-
§ 5501. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Bona fide educational or scientific institution” means an institution that establishes through documentation that it is a tax-exempt institution under the Internal Revenue Service’s educational or scientific tax exemption.
(2) “Covered animal” means any species of:
(A) Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus);
(B) Elephant (family Elephantidae);
(C) Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis);
(D) Hippopotamus (family Hippopotamidae);
(E) Jaguar (Panthera onca);
(F) Leopard (Panthera pardus);
(G) Lion (Panthera leo);
(H) Mammoth (genus Mammuthus);
(I) Mastodon (genus Mammut);
(J) Pangolin (family Manidae);
(K) Endangered ray, as listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
(L) Rhinoceros (family Rhinocerotidae);
(M) Sea turtle (family Chelonioidea);
(N) Endangered shark, as listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
(O) Tiger (Panthera tigris);
(P) Whale (families Balaenidae, Balaenopteridae, Cetotheriidae, Eschrichtiidae, Monodontidae, Physeteridae, Kogiidae, and Ziphiidae); or
(Q) The following primates: gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, gibbons, or chimpanzees.
(3) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife.
(4) “Covered animal part or product” means any item that contains, or is wholly or partially made from, a covered animal, including the meat or flesh of a covered animal sold as food.
(5) “Firearm” has the same meaning as in 13 V.S.A. § 4016(a)(3).
(6) “Sale” or “sell” means any act of selling, trading, or bartering for monetary or nonmonetary consideration and includes any transfer of ownership that occurs in the course of a commercial transaction. “Sale” or “sell” shall not include a nonmonetary transfer of ownership by way of gift, donation, or bequest.
(7) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Natural Resources.
(8) “Total value” means either the fair market value or the actual price paid for a covered animal part or product, whichever is greater. (Added 2019, No. 169 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.)
