The following terms, when used in this part, shall be construed as defined. Those terms used in the singular form in this part shall be construed as the plural form and vice versa, as the case may demand.

Accredited veterinarian. A veterinarian approved by the Administrator in accordance with part 161 of this chapter to perform functions specified in parts 1, 2, 3, and 11 of this chapter, and subchapters B, C, and D of this chapter; and to perform functions required by cooperative State-Federal disease control and eradication programs.

Administrator. The Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or any person authorized to act for the Administrator.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (APHIS).

APHIS representative. A veterinarian or other person employed by APHIS in animal health activities, who is authorized to perform the function involved.

Enter (entered, entry) into the United States. To introduce into the commerce of the United States after release from government detention.

Import (imported, importation) into the United States. To bring into the territorial limits of the United States.

Incinerate (incinerated). To reduce to ash by burning.

Inspector. An employee of APHIS who is authorized to perform the function involved.

Person. Any individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, joint stock company, or any other legal entity.

Region. Any defined geographic land area identifiable by geological, political, or surveyed boundaries. A region may consist of any of the following:

(1) A national entity (country);

(2) Part of a national entity (zone, county, department, municipality, parish, Province, State, etc.)

(3) Parts of several national entities combined into an area; or

(4) A group of national entities (countries) combined into a single area.

United States. All of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and all other territories and possessions of the United States.

United States health certificate. An official document issued by an APHIS representative or an accredited veterinarian at the point of origin of a movement of animals. It must show the identification tag, tattoo, or registration number of each animal to be moved; the age and sex of each animal to be moved; the number of animals covered by the document; the points of origin and destination; the consignor; and the consignee.

Veterinary Services. The Veterinary Services unit of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, or tapirs shall not be imported or entered into the United States unless in accordance with this part.

(a) An elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir shall not be imported into the United States unless accompanied by an import permit issued by APHIS and unless imported into the United States within 30 days after the proposed date of arrival stated in the import permit. The port veterinarian must be notified of the date of arrival at least 72 hours before the animal arrives in the United States.

(b) An application for an import permit may be obtained from Strategy and Policy, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, Maryland 20737; or by visiting https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/sa_epermits/eauth-epermits. A separate application must be prepared for each shipment.

(c) The completed application shall include the following information:

(1) The name and address of the person intending to export an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir to the United States;

(2) The name and address of the person intending to import an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir into the United States;

(3) The species, breed, and number of elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, or tapirs to be imported;

(4) The purpose of the importation;

(5) The port of embarkation;

(6) The name and concentration of the pesticide intended to be used to treat the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir for ectoparasites prior to the animal being transported to the United States;

(7) The mode of transportation;

(8) The route of travel;

(9) The port of entry in the United States and, if applicable, the address of the facility to be provided by the importer for inspection, treatment, and incineration pursuant to § 93.6 of this part;

(10) The proposed date of arrival in the United States; and

(11) The name and address of the person to whom the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir will be delivered in the United States.

(d) After receipt and review of the application by APHIS, an import permit indicating the applicable conditions under this part for importation into the United States shall be issued for the importation of the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir described in the application if such animal appears to be eligible to be imported. Even though an import permit has been issued for the importation of an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir, the animal may be imported only if all applicable requirements of this part are met.

(a) An elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir shall not be imported into the United States unless accompanied by a health certificate either signed by a salaried veterinarian of the national veterinary services of the region where the inspection and treatment required by this section occurred or signed by a veterinarian authorized by the national veterinary services of such region and endorsed by a salaried veterinarian of the national veterinary services of such region (the endorsement representing that the veterinarian signing the health certificate was authorized to do so), certifying:

(1) That the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir was inspected by the individual signing the health certificate and found free of any ectoparasites not more than 72 hours before being loaded on the means of conveyance which transported the animal to the United States; and

(2) That the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir was treated for ectoparasites at least 3 days but not more than 14 days before being loaded on the means of conveyance which transported the animal to the United States. The animal shall have been treated, under the supervision of the individual signing the health certificate, by being thoroughly wetted with a pesticide applied with either a sprayer with a hand-held nozzle, a spray-dip machine, or a dip vat; and

(3) That the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir, after being treated for ectoparasites in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section, did not have physical contact with or share a pen or bedding materials with any elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir not in the same shipment to the United States; and

(4) The name and concentration of the pesticide used to treat the animal (such pesticide and the concentration used must be adequate to kill the types of ectoparasites likely to infest the animal to be imported; a list of recommended pesticides and concentrations may be obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Strategy and Policy, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, Maryland 20737-1231; and

(5) The name and address of the consignor and consignee.

(b) [Reserved]

Upon arrival of an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir at a port of entry, the importer or the importer's agent shall notify APHIS of the arrival by giving an inspector a completed VS Form 17-29, “Declaration of Importation for Animals, Animal Semen, Birds, Poultry, and Eggs for Hatching.” (This form is available from Strategy and Policy, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, Maryland 20737 or by visiting https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/forms/ct_vs_forms.) Forms may be provided to the inspector using a U.S. Government electronic information exchange system or other authorized method. The completed form must state:

(a) The port of entry;

(b) The date of arrival;

(c) The import permit number;

(d) The name of the carrier and identification of the means of conveyance;

(e) The name and address of the importer;

(f) The name and address of the broker;

(g) The region from which the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir was shipped;

(h) The number, species, and purpose of importation of the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir; and

(i) The name and address of the person to whom the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir will be delivered.

(a) An elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir shall be imported into the United States only:

(1) At Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; and Newburgh, New York; or

(2) On a case-by-case basis, at another port of entry if:

(i) The animals will be inspected and treated at a facility provided by the importer;

(ii) The Administrator has determined that the importer's facility is adequate for inspection, treatment, and incineration required under this section;

(iii) The Administrator has determined that an inspector is available to perform at the importer's facility the services that are required under this section; and

(iv) The Administrator has determined that an inspector is available to perform at the port of entry the services that are required under this section if the animals will be inspected and treated at a facility provided by the importer.

(b) An elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir shall be entered into the United States only under the following conditions:

(1) Any documents accompanying the animal shall be subject to inspection by an inspector at the port of entry;

(2) If the animal is to be moved from the port of entry to a facility provided by the importer:

(i) At the port of entry the animal shall be subject to as much inspection by an inspector as is feasible and shall be sprayed or dipped, as feasible, under the supervision of an inspector and with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter;

(ii) At the port of entry, as much hay, straw, feed, bedding, and other material as can feasibly be removed from the shipping crate or vehicle containing the animal shall be removed, sealed in plastic bags, and incinerated by the importer under the supervision of an inspector;

(iii) At the port of entry, the shipping crate or the vehicle containing the animal shall be sealed by an inspector with an official seal of the United States Department of Agriculture:

(iv) If the animal is moved from the port of entry in a shipping crate, plastic must be fastened around the shipping crate so that all animal waste, hay, straw, feed, bedding, and other material accompanying the animal are retained inside the crate, but not so as to interfere with ventilation, feeding, and watering of the animal;

(v) After the arrival of the animal at the facility provided by the importer, the seal shall be broken by an inspector;

(3) The animal shall be inspected by an inspector within 24 hours of being unloaded at the port of entry or at a facility provided by the importer, and shall be treated under the supervision of an inspector, as follows:

(i) The animal shall be removed from its shipping crate or cargo hold, placed on a concrete or other nonporous surface, and physically inspected for ectoparasites by an inspector. If inspection and treatment are not performed upon unloading, the animal must be isolated from all other animals, except those in the same shipment, and kept in a facility with a nonporous floor and where any ectoparasites that may drop off the animal can be contained and destroyed, until the animal has been inspected and treated;

(ii) If the inspector finds no ectoparasites, the animal shall be sprayed or dipped one time in accordance with label instructions with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter; or

(iii) If the inspector finds ectoparasites, the animal shall be sprayed or dipped in accordance with label instructions with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter for as many times as necessary until the inspector finds no ectoparasites; and thereafter the animal shall be sprayed or dipped one additional time in accordance with label instructions with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter;

(4) All hay, straw, feed, bedding, and other material that has been placed with the animal at any time prior to the final treatment referred to in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, and any plastic sheet used to wrap any shipping crate, shall be sealed in plastic bags and incinerated under the supervision of an inspector;

(5) Any shipping crate shall be, under the supervision of an inspector, either cleaned and disinfected using a disinfectant listed in § 71.10 of this chapter or incinerated; and if the shipping crate is cleaned and disinfected, it shall then be treated under the supervision of an inspector with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter;

(6) Any means of conveyance used to transport an animal not in a shipping crate shall be, under the supervision of an inspector, cleaned and disinfected using a disinfectant listed in § 71.10 of this chapter and then treated with a permitted dip listed in § 72.13(b) of this chapter.

Any elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir refused entry into the United States for noncompliance with the requirements of this part shall be removed from the United States within a time period specified by the Administrator or shall be considered abandoned by the importer, and pending removal or abandonment, the animal shall be subject to such safeguards as the inspector determines necessary to prevent the possible introduction of ectoparasites into the United States. If such animal is not removed from the United States within such time period or is abandoned, it may be seized, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of as the Administrator determines necessary to prevent the possible introduction of ectoparasites into the United States.

(a) Elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, and tapirs are exempt from the regulations in this part under the following circumstances:

(1) They are imported from Canada and are accompanied by a document signed by a salaried veterinarian of the Canadian Government that states:

(i) They were not imported into Canada during the year preceding their importation into the United States; and

(ii) They did not, during the year preceding their importation into the United States, have physical contact with or share a pen or bedding materials with any elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or tapir imported into Canada during that year; or

(2) They were exported into Canada from the United States and then imported back into the United States accompanied by a United States health certificate.

(b) Notwithstanding other provisions in this part, the Administrator may in specific cases allow the importation and entry of elephants, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, or tapirs into the United States other than as provided for in this part under such conditions as the Administrator may prescribe to prevent the introduction of ectoparasites into the United States.