It is an offence to remove any wildlife or wildlife parts,
other than a manufactured product, from the NWT unless you have a Wildlife
Export Permit. This includes legally harvested game, a gift of meat from a
hunter, legally purchased meat, untanned furs and raw hides, ducks or geese,
antlers, skulls, teeth, bones or any other parts of an animal. The wildlife
parts must be presented for inspection when the export permit is being
obtained. The Wildlife Export Permit is required before any items can leave
the NWT . Permits will not be issued after the items have been exported.
There is no fee for these export permits. However, nonresident and
non-resident alien hunters are required to pay a trophy fee when exporting
big game they have harvested.
Certification is required before exporting harvested or found Dall’s sheep
horns and harvested or found wood bison horns, from the NWT. Other species
that may require certification are: birds of prey, grizzly bear, polar bear
and muskox.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Fauna and Flora (CITES) was established to control the import and export
of species that are considered to be rare or endangered. A CITES permit is
required for all parts of the following big game species leaving Canada:
grizzly bears, black bears, polar bears, wood bison, and wolf. You must have
a CITES permit for these harvested animals before you leave Canada. Many
countries have restrictions on the importation of certain species of
wildlife. To avoid confiscation of items, check about regulations with a
wildlife or customs agency of the country you plan to import into.
There are exemptions that allow an individual to export or import some
tourist souvenirs items acquired during the trip, if the item is part of the
individual’s clothing or accessories or personal accompanied baggage. The
item must not be for commercial purposes and cannot be sold or disposed of
within 90 days after the date of import or export.
CITES permits are available from any regional ENR office. It may take
several days to obtain a CITES permit, so apply for it well in advance.
As CITES permits regulate the export of wildlife from Canada rather than the
NWT, you may also need a Wildlife Export Permit.
