Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in Wyoming and am having a hard time trying to find information on possession of venomous reptiles in the state. I know that possession of all native species of hots is illegal but I cant find anything on other species. any help would be appreciated. Also on transport into the state since we don't have a Delta certified airport.

I moved from Wyoming a little over a year ago, and at that time their herp laws were still pretty relaxed and straight forward. Of course things may have changed in the last year.

There are only two (2) native venomous snakes in Wyoming...the Prairie Rattlesnake and the Midget Faded Rattlesnake. The Midget Faded Rattlesnake is protected by state law and can not be collected or possessed without a special permit from WG&F. Obtaining such a permit is highly unlikely. The Prairie Rattlesnake is not protected and may be collected and possessed without any special permit. However, importation of Prairie Rattlesnakes into Wyoming from outside the state is not permitted.

There is a list of native Wyoming herps that are protected and most of the species that most people are interested in are indeed protected such as the Midget Faded rattlesnake, the Rubber Boa, Pale Milksnake, etc.

In Wyoming you can not import into the state from another state any species that is native to the state of Wyoming. When I left that area there were no restrictions on importing venomous herps into the state other than the two species native to Wyoming.

In regard to Delta Dash Service into WYoming...that is really the biggest pain in the a-- that you might have to contend with. The problem is not that non of the airports are "Delta Certified" per se. The real problem is that while Delta provides air service throughout Wyomming including delta Dash....they provide that service through a sub-contactor...normally Skywest under the banner of "Delta Connection". The Delta Connection flights throughout Wyoming do offer Delta Dash Service. However, as subcontractors for Delta, they do have their own tariffs and rules separate from Delta and therein lies the problem. While Delta accepts animals for shipment, Skywest (Delta Connection contractor) has rules that prohibit the shipment or carrying of ANY live animal...even cats and dogs. So while they do deliver Delta Dash shipments, if that shipment contains a live animal they will reject it...even though Delta itself would accept it. Generally, Delta will not accept Delta Dash shipments if any part of the trip is on one of Skywest's routes. And in Wyoming you really don't have a lot of othere choices. Getting venomous stuff into the state by legal means generally means making a trip out of state to obtain your animals and drive them back yourself. But all of this is an airline isse and not anything to do with state law.

As I mentioned, some of the information I provided about the WG&F regulations may no longer be up to date. If you have questions, I would suggest that you contact the WG&F dirctly for the current regulations.
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Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
www.southwesternherp.com

Thank you Gerald that's a good starting point I've been trying to get a hold of someone at the game and fish office that knows more about this but haven't had any luck as of late. Do you know anything about the venom import laws for Colorado? last i knew they were fairly strict.

thanks again for the help

My understanding is that in Colorado you can not own, keep or possess any venomous snake, either native or non-native, unless you hold a Commerical Wildlife Park License issued by the state. I think the same holds true for importation.
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Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
www.southwesternherp.com