ARTICLE 1. Generally [2116. - 2128.]

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC 1.
in effect

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2116. Section 2116.

As used in this chapter, “wild animal” means any animal of the class Aves (birds), class Mammalia (mammals), class Amphibia (frogs, toads, salamanders), class Osteichtyes (bony fishes), class Monorhina (lampreys), class Reptilia (reptiles), class Crustacea (crayfish), or class Gastropoda (slugs, snails) which is not normally domesticated in this state as determined by the commission.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2116.5. Section 2116.5.

The Legislature finds and declares that wild animals are being captured for importation and resale in California; that some populations of wild animals are being depleted; that many animals die in captivity or transit; that some keepers of wild animals lack sufficient knowledge or facilities for the proper care of wild animals; that some wild animals are a threat to the native wildlife or agricultural interests of this state; and that some wild animals are a threat to public health and safety. It is the intention of the Legislature that the importation, transportation, and possession of wild animals shall be regulated to protect the health and welfare of wild animals captured, imported, transported, or possessed, to reduce the depletion of wildlife populations, to protect the native wildlife and agricultural interests of this state against damage from the existence at large of certain wild animals, and to protect the public health and safety in this state.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2117. Section 2117.

As used in this chapter, “enforcing officers” means the department, the state plant quarantine officers, the local law enforcement agents, the county sheriffs, and the county agricultural commissioners. These enforcing officers are authorized and empowered to enforce the provisions of this chapter or any regulation implementing this chapter.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2118. Section 2118.

It is unlawful to import, transport, possess, or release alive into this state, except under a revocable, nontransferable permit as provided in this chapter and the regulations pertaining thereto, any wild animal of the following species: (a) Class Aves: (birds) Family Cuculidae (cuckoos) All Species. Family Alaudidae (larks) Skylark, Alauda arvensis Family Corvidae (crows, jays, magpies) All species. Family Turdidae (thrushes) European blackbird, Turdus merula Missel (or mistle), thrush, Turdus viscivorus Family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas or mynahs) All species of the family, except hill myna (or hill mynah), Gracula religiosa (sometimes referred to as Eulabes religiosa) Family Ploceidae (weavers) The following species: Spanish sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis Italian sparrow, Passer italiae European tree sparrow, Passer montanus Cape sparrow, Passer capensis Madagascar weaver, Foudia madagascariensis Baya weaver, Ploceus baya Hawaiian rice bird, Munia nisoria Red-billed quelea, Quelea quelea Red-headed quelea, Quelea erythrops Family Fringillidae (sparrows, finches, buntings) Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella (b) Class Mammalia (mammals) Order Primates All species except those in family Hominidae Order Edentata (sloths, anteaters, armadillos, etc.) All species. Order Marsupialia (marsupials or pouched mammals) All species. Order Insectivora (shrews, moles, hedgehogs, etc.) All species. Order Dermoptera (gliding lemurs) All species. Order Chiroptera (bats) All species. Order Monotremata (spiny anteaters, platypuses) All species. Order Pholidota (pangolins, scaly anteaters) All species. Order Lagomorpha (pikas, rabbits, hares) All species, except domesticated races of rabbits. Order Rodentia (rodents) All species, except domesticated golden hamsters, also known as Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus; domesticated races of rats or mice (white or albino; trained, dancing or spinning, laboratory-reared); and domestic strains of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Order Carnivora (carnivores) All species, except domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and domestic cats (Felis catus). Order Tubulidentata (aardvarks) All species. Order Proboscidea (elephants) All species. Order Hyracoidea (hyraxes) All species. Order Sirenia (dugongs, manatees) All species. Order Perissodactyla (horses, zebras, tapirs, rhinoceroses, etc.) All species except those of the family Equidae. Order Artiodactyla (swine, peccaries, camels, deer, elk, except elk (genus Cervus) which are subject to Section 2118.2, moose, antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, etc.) All species except: domestic swine of the family Suidae; American bison, and domestic cattle, sheep and goats of the family Bovidae; races of big-horned sheep (Ovis canadensis) now or formerly indigenous to this state. Mammals of the orders Primates, Edentata, Dermoptera, Monotremata, Pholidota, Tubulidentata, Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, Hyracoidea, Sirenia and Carnivora are restricted for the welfare of the animals, except animals of the families Viverridae and Mustelidae in the order Carnivora are restricted because such animals are undesirable and a menace to native wildlife, the agricultural interests of the state, or to the public health or safety. (c) Class amphibia (frogs, toads, salamanders) Family Bufonidae (toads) Giant toad or marine toad, Bufo marinus (d) Class Monorhina (lampreys) All species. (e) Class Osteichthyes (bony fishes) Family Serranidae (bass) White perch, Morone or Roccus americana Family Clupeidae (herring) Gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum Family Sciaenidae (croakers) Freshwater sheepshead, Aplodinotus grunniens Family Characidae (characins) Banded tetra, Astyanax fasciatus All species of piranhas Family Lepisosteidae (gars) All species. Family Amiidae (bowfins) All species. (f) Class Reptilia (snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators) Family Crocodilidae All species. (g) Class Crustacea (crustaceans) Genus Cambarus (crayfishes) All species. Genus Astacus (crayfishes) All species. Genus Astacopsis (crayfishes) All species. (h) Class Gastropoda (slugs, snails, clams) All species of slugs. All species of land snails. (i) Other classes, orders, families, genera, and species of wild animals which may be designated by the commission in cooperation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, (1) when the class, order, family, genus, or species is proven to be undesirable and a menace to native wildlife or the agricultural interests of the state, or (2) to provide for the welfare of wild animals. (j) Except as expressly authorized in this code, any live nonindigenous Atlantic salmon or the roe thereof into the Smith River watershed. (k) Classes, families, genera, and species in addition to those listed in this section may be added to or deleted from the above lists from time to time by commission regulations in cooperation with the Department of Food and Agriculture.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2118.2. Section 2118.2.

Except as provided in Section 1007, it is unlawful to import any elk (genus Cervus) into this state. The department may import elk pursuant to Section 1007, if prior to such importation, the department issues written findings justifying the need for and explaining the purpose of the importation. This section shall not apply to zoos certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2119. Section 2119.

The department shall publish from time to time as changes arise, a list of animals that may not be imported or transported into this state.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2120. Section 2120.

(a) The commission, in cooperation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall adopt regulations governing both (1) the entry, importation, possession, transportation, keeping, confinement, or release of any and all wild animals that will be or that have been imported into this state pursuant to this chapter, and (2) the possession of all other wild animals. The regulations shall be designed to prevent damage to the native wildlife or agricultural interests of this state resulting from the existence at large of these wild animals, and to provide for the welfare of wild animals and the safety of the public. (b) The regulations shall also include criteria for all of the following: (1) The receiving, processing, and issuing of a permit and conducting inspections. (2) Contracting out inspection activities. (3) Responding to public reports and complaints. (4) The notification of the revocation, termination, or denial of permits, and related appeals. (5) The method by which the department determines that the breeding of wild animals pursuant to a single event breeding permit for exhibitor or a breeding permit is necessary and will not result in unneeded or uncared for animals, and the means by which the criteria will be implemented and enforced. (6) How a responding agency will respond to an escape of a wild animal. This shall include, but not be limited to, the establishment of guidelines for the safe recapture of the wild animal and procedures outlining when lethal force would be used to recapture the wild animal. (c) These regulations shall be developed and adopted by the commission on or before January 1, 2007.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2121. Section 2121.

No person having possession or control over any wild animal under this chapter shall intentionally free, or knowingly permit the escape, or release of such an animal, except in accordance with the regulations of the commission.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2122. Section 2122.

The commission shall promulgate regulations in cooperation with the State Department of Food and Agriculture for the guidance of enforcing officers. Such regulations shall include a list of the wild animals for which permits that may be issued under this chapter will be refused, and the disposition of such wild animals illegally imported into this state.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2123. Section 2123.

The department in cooperation with the State Department of Food and Agriculture shall furnish descriptive and illustrative material concerning the wild animals enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118, as well as explanatory material setting forth the reasons for designating such animals as undesirable and a menace to native wildlife or to the agricultural interests of this state for the information and guidance of the enforcing officers.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2124. Section 2124.

(a) Except as otherwise authorized by this code or regulations adopted pursuant to this code, including, but not limited to, those provisions that authorize raising deer to produce venison for market, it is unlawful for any person to possess, transport, import, export, propagate, purchase, sell, or transfer any live mammal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118 for the purposes of maiming, injuring, or killing the mammal for gain, amusement, or sport. (b) Except as otherwise authorized by this code or regulations adopted pursuant to this code, the buyer of a live mammal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118 shall not resell the live mammal to another buyer who has the intent to maim, injure, or kill that mammal for purposes of gain, amusement, or sport. (c) This section does not apply to the meat, hide, or parts of a dead mammal.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2125. Section 2125.

(a) In addition to any other penalty provided by law, any person who violates this chapter or any regulations implementing this chapter, is subject to a civil penalty of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation. Except as otherwise provided, any violation of this chapter or of any regulations implementing this chapter is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than six months, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). (b) The Attorney General, or the city attorney of the city or the district attorney or county counsel of the county in which a violation of this article occurs, may bring a civil action to recover the civil penalty in subdivision (a) and the costs of seizing and holding the animal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118, except to the extent that those costs have already been collected as provided by subdivision (d). The civil action shall be brought in the county in which the violation occurs and any penalty imposed shall be transferred to the Controller for deposit in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund in accordance with Section 13001. (c) In an action brought under this section, in addition to the penalty specified in subdivision (a), the reasonable costs of investigation, reasonable attorney’s fees, and reasonable expert witness’ fees may also be recovered and those amounts shall be credited to the same operating funds as those from which the expenditures for those purposes were derived. (d) (1) If an animal is confiscated because the animal was kept in contravention of this chapter or any implementing regulations, the person claiming the animal shall pay to the department or the new custodian of the animal an amount sufficient to cover all reasonable expenses expected to be incurred in caring for and providing for the animal for at least 30 days, including, but not limited to, the estimated cost of food, medical care, and housing. (2) If the person claiming the animal fails to comply with the terms of their permit and to regain possession of the animal by the expiration of the first 30-day period, the department may euthanize the animal or place the animal with an appropriate wild animal facility at the end of the 30 days, unless the person claiming the animal pays all reasonable costs of caring for the animal for a second 30-day period before the expiration of the first 30-day period. If the permittee is still not in compliance with the terms of the permit at the end of the second 30-day period, the department may euthanize the animal or place the animal in an appropriate wild animal facility. (3) The amount of the payments described in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be determined by the department, and shall be based on the current reasonable costs to feed, provide medical care for, and house the animal. If the person claiming the animal complies with the terms of their permit and regains possession of the animal, any unused portion of the payments required pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be returned to the person claiming the animal no later than 90 days after the date on which the person regains possession of the animal.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2126. Section 2126.

(a) Except as otherwise authorized by this code or regulations made pursuant thereto, it is unlawful for any person to take any mammal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118. (b) This section does not prohibit the euthanasia of a mammal as appropriately directed by a licensed veterinarian or animal health technician.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2127. Section 2127.

(a) The department may reimburse eligible local entities, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding entered into pursuant to this section, for costs incurred by the eligible local entities in the administration and enforcement of any provision concerning the possession of, handling of, care for, or holding facilities provided for, a wild animal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118. (b) The department may enter into memorandums of understanding with eligible local entities for the administration and enforcement of any provision concerning the possession of, handling of, care for, or holding facilities provided for, a wild animal enumerated in or designated pursuant to Section 2118. (c) The commission shall adopt regulations that establish specific criteria an eligible local entity shall meet in order to qualify as an eligible local entity. (d) For the purposes of this division, “eligible local entity” means a county, local animal control officer, local humane society official, educational institution, or trained private individual that enters into a memorandum of understanding with the department pursuant to this section.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 2128. Section 2128.

(a) (1) Any person who houses, possesses, manages, or is in direct contact with an elephant shall not do either of the following: (A) Use a bullhook, ankus, baseball bat, axe handle, pitchfork, or other device designed to inflict pain for the purpose of training or controlling the behavior of an elephant. (B) Authorize or allow an employee, agent, or contractor to use a bullhook, ankus, baseball bat, axe handle, pitchfork, or other device designed to inflict pain for the purpose of training or controlling the behavior of an elephant. (2) Use prohibited by this subdivision includes brandishing, exhibiting, or displaying the devices in the presence of an elephant. (b) Any person who violates this section is subject to the civil penalty set forth in Section 2125 for each violation, and the restricted species permit for the elephant is subject to immediate suspension or revocation by the department. A person whose restricted species permit is suspended or revoked pursuant to this section may appeal the suspension or revocation to the commission by filing a written request for an appeal with the commission within 30 days of the suspension or revocation. A person who violates this section is not subject to the criminal penalties set forth in this code. (c) The provisions of this section are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other laws protecting animal welfare. This section shall not be construed to limit any state law or rules protecting the welfare of animals or to prevent a local governing body from adopting and enforcing its own animal welfare laws and regulations. (d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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