KUWAIT, May 23 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAF) expanded its ban on the import and possession of endangered wild animals to include carnivores, poisonous reptiles and monkeys of all kinds.
The measures are in line with numerous international treaties on the protection of endangered species, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The ban is part of new regulations which include subjecting imports of other non-banned wild animals for personal or commercial purposes to safety, health and environmental requirements of the Department of Animal Health and the Zoo Administration, the PAAF explained in a statement.
A suitable place should be prepared for the animal before the importation to ensure it will not escape or cause any danger to the environment, it stated.
The new regulations also specifically allow the importation or ownership of wild animals only for scientific research bodies, licensed zoos or circuses.
But, before doing so, these bodies must be subject to PAAF and quarantine authority approvals, the statement added. (end) hmm.smh.ibi KUNA 231757 May 13NNNN