Endangered Species - Enforcement and Penalties - Arizona

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B. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly and without lawful authority under state or federal law import and transport into this state and release within this state a species of wildlife that is listed as a threatened, endangered or candidate species under the endangered species act of 1973 (P.L. 93-205; 87 Stat. 884; 16 United States Code sections 1531 through 1544).

C. A person who violates subsection B of this section is guilty of a class 6 felony.

D. A person who violates subsection B of this section with the intent to disrupt or interfere with the development or use of public natural resources to establish the presence of the species in an area not currently known to be occupied by that species is guilty of a class 4 felony.

Citation: A.R.S. § 17-306.

A. The commission may impose a civil penalty against any person unlawfully taking, wounding or killing, or unlawfully in possession of, any of the following wildlife, or part thereof, to recover the following minimum sums: . . .

6. For each trophy or endangered species animal[:] $8,000.00...

Citation: A.R.S. § 17-314.

A. Notwithstanding section 17–239 or any other provision of this title, if the secretary of the interior publishes in the federal register a determination for the removal of jaguar (felis onca) from the list as required under section 4(c) of the endangered species act of 1973, as amended, (P.L. 93–205; 87 Stat. 884; 16 United States Code sections 1531 through 1544): [...]

2. A person who unlawfully kills, wounds or possesses a jaguar or any part thereof:

(a) Is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

(b) Is liable for civil damages of not more than seventy-two thousand five hundred dollars for each violation pursuant to procedures set forth in section 17–314.

B. Subsection A of this section does not apply to:

1. A jaguar or parts of a jaguar that were lawfully possessed under state and federal law before August 21, 1997.

2. Any person who kills or wounds a jaguar, if it can be shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the person committed an act based on a good faith belief that the person was acting to protect himself, a member of the person's family or any other individual from bodily harm from a the jaguar.

C. A person shall notify the department within five days after killing or wounding a jaguar under subsection B, paragraph 2 of this section. A jaguar that is killed or wounded pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 2 of this section shall not be retained, sold or removed from the site without authorization from the department.

Citation: A.R.S. § 17-320.