 |
A wildlife inspector is a person empowered by law to protect wildlife.
| |
A wildlife inspector is a person empowered by law to protect wildlife.
In the United Kingdom, wildlife inspectors are Natural England and Animal and Plant Health Agency officers authorised to investigate wildlife crime and related offences by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under S19ZA of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. [1] An authorisation can be subject to any conditions or limitations specified in it. [1]
A wildlife inspector may, at any reasonable time and (if required to do so) upon producing evidence that he is authorised: [1]
But in the case of the sections marked †, an inspector cannot enter a dwelling except for purposes connected with:
A wildlife inspector may, for the purpose of ascertaining whether an offense under section 6, [2] 7, section 14 [3] section 9(5)], 13(2) or [4] is being, or has been, committed in respect of any specimen, require any person who has the specimen in his possession or control to make it available for examination by the inspector.
Any person who has in his possession or control any live bird or other animal shall give any wildlife inspector acting in the exercise of powers conferred by this section such assistance as the inspector may reasonably require for the purpose of examining the bird or other animal. [1] It is an offence to fail without reasonable excuse to give any assistance reasonably required. [1]
Any person who intentionally obstructs a wildlife inspector acting in the exercise of powers of entry examination shall be guilty of an offence. [1] Any person who, with intent to deceive, falsely pretends to be a wildlife inspector shall be guilty of an offence. [1]
In the United States, a wildlife inspector is a person employed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the defense against the illegal wildlife trade by ensuring that wildlife shipments comply with American and international wildlife protection laws.
Stationed at major international airports, ocean ports, and border crossings, wildlife inspectors monitor an annual trade worth more than $2.8 billion. They stop illegal shipments, intercept smuggled wildlife and wildlife products, and help the United States fulfill its commitment to global wildlife conservation.
By law, most commercial wildlife shipments come through 17 'designated ports' - Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York/Newark, New Jersey; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Washington. The Service operates wildlife inspection offices in these cities. Wildlife inspectors also staff 14 locations along the Mexican and Canadian borders and five additional ports that handle specific types of wildlife traffic.
A Senior Wildlife Inspector is stationed at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA and coordinates training for Service Wildlife Inspector and Special Agents, Customs officers and other International, Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies that deal with the import/export of wildlife.
The United States is one of the world's largest markets for wildlife and wildlife products. High-volume 'live' traffic includes exotic reptiles, tropical fish, and primates. Manufactured products (such as boots, shoes, purses, jewelry, caviar, and meats) and less 'processed' wildlife items (such as hunting trophies, feathers, furs, skins, raw coral, and shells) are also common. Wildlife inspectors enforce a range of US and international laws, regulations, and treaties that protect wildlife and limit commercial traffic in endangered animals and plants.
Wildlife inspectors clear legal imports and exports and seize shipments that violate the law. They make sure that wildlife imports and exports are accompanied by the required permits and licenses, and verify that the contents of shipments match the items listed on declaration forms. They pay special attention to live wildlife, checking to see that animals in transit are treated humanely.
Although wildlife inspectors spend most of their time processing commercial cargo shipments, they also keep tabs on international passenger traffic. Unwary travelers all too often return from abroad with illegal wildlife souvenirs. Many smuggling rings use human couriers; inspectors find protected animals hidden in clothing and stuffed in suitcases and handbags.
Wildlife inspectors work closely with Service Special Agents and counterparts from Customs and Border Protection and other Federal agencies that police international trade. They staff special enforcement task forces that conduct inspection blitzes at international mail processing facilities, or target specific enforcement problems, such as the import and sale of medicinal products made from endangered species.
Outreach is also an important part of the job. Wildlife inspectors meet with customs brokers, trade associations, international travelers, and hunters going abroad to explain wildlife import/export rules and regulations. They are popular guest speakers at schools, nature centers, community conservation programs, and environmental fairs.
Inspectors provided international training to their Canadian and Mexican counterparts, and have traveled internationally to countries such as Nepal, China, Italy, Mongolian and Botswana to provide training to other wildlife law enforcement agencies in those countries.
A site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an area of special scientific interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation. The acronym "SSSI" is often pronounced "triple-S I".
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species, controls the release of non-native species, enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and builds upon the rights of way rules in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Act is split into 4 parts covering 74 sections; it also includes 17 schedules.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale, Maryland responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. APHIS's PPQ is the National Plant Protection Organization for the U.S., and the agency's head of veterinary services/veterinary Deputy Administrator is the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United States.
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which bans the hunting of most wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some strictly limited exemptions; the Act does not cover the use of dogs in the process of flushing out an unidentified wild mammal, nor does it affect drag hunting, where hounds are trained to follow an artificial scent.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is a United States federal law that set up the basic U.S. system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment. It is administered and regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the appropriate environmental agencies of the respective states. FIFRA has undergone several important amendments since its inception. A significant revision in 1972 by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA) and several others have expanded EPA's present authority to oversee the sales and use of pesticides with emphasis on the preservation of human health and protection of the environment by "(1) strengthening the registration process by shifting the burden of proof to the chemical manufacturer, (2) enforcing compliance against banned and unregistered products, and (3) promulgating the regulatory framework missing from the original law".
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, known informally as the CRoW Act or "Right to Roam" Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament affecting England and Wales which came into force on 30 November 2000.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that as of 2011 defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.
The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 became a United States federal law (P.L.) 99-645 on November 10, 1986. Prior to the Act the purchase of wetlands by the Federal Government had been prohibited. The Act allocated funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the purchase of wetlands by the Secretary of Interior, who is head of the United States Department of the Interior. The Act also instituted a National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan which was to be established and set up by the Secretary. Included in this plan was a requirement for all States to include wetlands as part of their Comprehensive Outdoors Recreation plan. The plan also transferred the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund amounts which were to be equal to the import duties on arms and ammunition. The main purpose of the Act was to ensure a follow through on international obligations and fulfillment of these obligations on the various past and future migratory bird treaties. It also promoted the conservation of wetlands so the benefits they provide could be maintained.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that as of 2008 defines, within England and Wales and Scotland, the fundamental structure and authority for waste management and control of emissions into the environment.
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established scheduled protected plant and hunting certain animal species or harvesting these species was largely outlawed. The Act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India.
The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.
Civilian enforcement officers (CEOs) are either employees or authorised officers of His Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service and are responsible for enforcing magistrates' court orders. They can seize and sell goods to recover money owed under a fine and community penalty notice. They also execute, in England and Wales, warrants of arrest, committal, detention and distraint. Members of approved enforcement agencies have the same powers as civilian enforcement officers, but are employed by private companies. Both are referred to as 'authorised officers' in law.
The powers of the fire service in the United Kingdom are extensive, but vary between jurisdictions. These powers generally only apply to members of public fire and rescue services. Powers are granted to firefighters in England & Wales by virtue of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, in Scotland by virtue of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and in Northern Ireland by virtue of the Fire and Rescue Services Order 2006. Whilst the three acts are almost identical in effect, they word the powers differently and vary in relation to the issuance of warrants.
Burglary is a statutory offence in England and Wales.
The powers of the police in Scotland, as with much of Scots law, are based on mixed elements of statute law and common law.
The powers of the police in England and Wales are defined largely by statute law, with the main sources of power being the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Police Act 1996. This article covers the powers of police officers of territorial police forces only, but a police officer in one of the UK's special police forces can utilise extended jurisdiction powers outside of their normal jurisdiction in certain defined situations as set out in statute. In law, police powers are given to constables. All police officers in England and Wales are "constables" in law whatever their rank. Certain police powers are also available to a limited extent to police community support officers and other non warranted positions such as police civilian investigators or designated detention officers employed by some police forces even though they are not constables.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems, save endangered species, conserve migratory birds, preserve wildlife habitat, restore fisheries, combat invasive species, and promote international wildlife conservation. It is an office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
Wildlife law in England and Wales is the law relating to the protection of wildlife in England and Wales. Much of existing UK law dates from pre-Victorian times. Wildlife was viewed as a resource to be used; phrases such as "game" or "sporting rights" appear. Public opinion is now much more in favour of protection of birds and mammals rather than the landowners’ interests.
Occupatio or occupation is a method of original acquisition of property in Scots law. It derives from the Roman law concept of the same name. Occupatio allows an occupier of an object (res) with the intention to own the property to become the owner. As most property in Scotland is owned, and with the caduciary right that all ownerless property falls to the Crown, its application is uncommon. Nevertheless, it remains a valid method of acquiring ownership in Scots law.