USDA Help PLEASE

I don't know about birds; but if this were mammals then to import they would need to be shipped to a USDA licensed facility and then tanned at that facility or shipped to a USDA certified tannery for tanning.
Once tanned they can be shipped to any taxidermist.
Find out how they came into the country, if they have been inspected, and by whom.
Call your regional USDA/APHIS office and talk to an inspector or veternarian.

 

The USDA approved taxidermist means that the taxidermist they go to has an incinerator to burn the body and all the meat and by products removed from the skin. They want this done to insure that no diseases are spread by the carcass not being destroyed. It has to be an enclosed gas fired incinerator to keep every thing contained while it is burned. After it is skinned and cleaned, the skin can go to any one for mounting. I hope this will help you. Call your local USDA office and they can give you a name of an approved taxidermist.

 

Mexico is an easy place to get things across the border without being inspected, go figure. Once here, inspected or not, they still have to go to an USDA approved taxidermist for processing. Like already said, once processed they can be handed off to anyone but I would strongly suggest getting paperwork from USDA o.k.ing that before doing so. I get to go thru this next week when my inspector comes by.....good luck.

 

That may be a good choice!! THERE IS A MASS CONFUSION BETWEEN AGENCIES!!! The USDA and the Customs Border Patrol seem to now have conflicting "laws" on the 'books" that contradict each other... Many many taxidermists have gone through or are now going through some MAJOR grief over importing from Mexico. Before getting anything from Mexico,, I would (if i were you) contact vet services and get specific info from them documenting every word of said conversations, then contact the CBP with the same questions and documentation!! But,,, even that may not save you from grief with this issue- even congressmen have been hassled and had their birds confiscated at the border!!!???? Thie is a very touchy and critical thing that is right now taking place- and it is something we should all write to our congressmen about......

 

It's because homeland security thinks there's a bomb in those turkeys!

 

These birds do need to go to a USDA approved taxidermy facility. Gunner's Taxidermy offers a service on salted skins that gets them inspected through them and cleared for mounting by any taxidermist for $125 per salted skin plus return shipping. Option two is to send them to either Cally Morris at Hazel Creek or Shane Smith. Both would do world class work for your customer. One thing that just does not make sense...when I came back from my ocellated hunt in Guatemala this month I was required to state to USFW and US Customs what approved facility my bird would go to and they apparently check with that taxidermist to ensure that I sent it. How did your client pass customs without this info?

 

goosegunner,,, you should contact Shane as he has suffered grief with the same problems recently....No one is safe from hassles at this current time...In fact, the folks getting hassled could read like a whos who in taxidermy of the south!!