An incident in Mossbank prompted a conversation about taxidermy laws when the Ministry of Corrections completed a routine inspection of a taxidermist in the area and found 144 untagged wildlife exhibits alongside the taxidermist being unable to provide a taxidermy license.
“It began as a routine inspection by two officers out of Assiniboia and then they quickly realized it was probably more than a two-man job” says Sergeant Grant Robinson with the Conservation Officer Service and Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.
“We couldn't get it all done in one day with I think we had six or seven officers working on it. We were coming across a lot of violations and then we came across more items in some of the buildings on the property. We had a lot of items where it became a situation of unlawful possession.”
The individual ended up facing multiple charges amounting to $7250 plus surcharges, Robinson says they were able to negotiate a plea deal.
He goes on to explain the rules and regulations tied to operating as a taxidermist. Anyone doing it for commercial reasons must obtain a license.
“There are parameters or legislation surrounding operating a taxidermy business. They have to keep proper records, wildlife taken in, basically who's bringing it in. They have to be able to show that that wildlife has been lawfully taken. So when we do an inspection, we'll ask to see their books to confirm. We'll check tags, follow up with license numbers to ensure that all the wildlife in that taxidermist's possession has been lawfully taken.”
Robinson explains that in this situation, records came up incomplete or missing and unable to be verified. Since the taxidermist could not prove the animal was lawfully taken, he was considered to be in unlawful possession of wildlife.
“When you apply as a taxidermist, when you get your taxidermist license, all of those conditions and requirements are listed and provided."
"The taxidermist should know or ought to know what is required of them.”
The regulations surrounding taxidermy also change with the scope of operation, Robinson notes international wildlife as an example.
“Then you're dealing with more international permitting, import-export permits and things like that. Especially with anything that might be classed as potentially threatened, endangered. It becomes a lot larger in scope then.”