Can you own a harpy eagle?

Generally, no. The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is listed as endangered “wherever found” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, so importing, capturing, buying, or selling one requires a federal permit.

The species was added to the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife on June 14, 1976 (41 FR 24062), and the listing appears in 50 CFR 17.11. Federal rules at 50 CFR 17.21 make it unlawful, without a permit, to import or export endangered wildlife, to take it within the United States, or to deliver, transport, or sell it in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of a commercial activity. Even a shipment that only passes through the country counts as both an import and an export. There is a narrow exception for endangered animals bred in captivity in the United States, but it applies only when the activity is meant to enhance the propagation or survival of the species and follows the regulation’s other conditions. That makes it a route for conservation breeding programs, not for keeping a harpy eagle as a pet.

Source: eCFR, 50 CFR Part 17 (Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants), sections 17.11 and 17.21

Image: Harpy eagle, Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.



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