Can I ship livestock overseas?

[FDdragon]

Hello all. What would it take to ship livestock from a different country (Guam, P.I, Japan, etc) into the U.S?

What about bringing them with me on a plane?

I know I would need someone to take the livestock as soon as it arrives in country and that's not a problem. Just want to know what license, requirements, etc I would have to meet to make this happen.

I don't plan on doing a business or anything like that, just thinking that if I take a vacation and find something cool and/or hard to get I would like to bring it back.

Thanks in advance.

[Chaz]

Good luck getting it through customs

[cutterx23]

I would advise against this for many reasons, the main two are: ocean preservation needs to be considered, we are hobbyists meaning we should have some of the greatest appreciation of the water and life in it, over collecting and damaging of the reefs is a big problem and we should not contribute to it if possible. Like many things, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Plus that is how many people make their livings and depend on the business, if everybody just goes out and does their own thing we damage everybody else down the line, eventually killing the hobby. Second main reason is, anything you do collect will more than likely die in the journey back here. It would take professional packaging and shipping to get most livestock all the way back without croaking.

My 2 cents

[FDdragon]

I totally understand. What I meant by finding something was like in a store or from a local seller.

yeah, I thought about the packaging and if it would be worth the risk. I have heard of people taking fish on a plane as carry on so I thought that if the flight was short enough that it could be possible for the fish to survive. But this is why I am asking the question; because I do not know.

My curiosity has been getting the best of me after watching some tv shows and reading random articles online. LOL. Thanks for your thoughts and I hope I didn't come across in a bad manner.

[cutterx23]

No worries... I would say if you find something in a store you really want, talk to the owners and have them ship it to you the day after you leave... One of the biggest problems with taking a fish back on with you is the amount of water allowed in a bag is generally very small, and the pressure changes of altitude can affect the air in the bag. I've known people to do this from Hawaii to Cali, and I think a lot of times it doesn't end well, and that's just from Hawaii.

[LotsaFishies]

Your best bet would be to find a vendor / shipper in the country you plan on visiting and seeing if you can pay them to ship for you. You have to declare all livestock coming into the country and have it go through customs..

[FDdragon]

yeah, I think finding someone there to ship it to me would the best course. Thanks for the advice!