Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2024-0192; FXIA16710900000-245-FF09A30000]

Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

DATES:

We must receive comments by January 21, 2025.

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents:

The applications, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at

https://www.regulations.gov

in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2024-0192.

Submitting Comments:

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

•

internet: https://www.regulations.gov.

Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2024-0192.

•

U.S. mail:

Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2024-0192; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Timothy MacDonald, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at

DMAFR@fws.gov.

Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in

ADDRESSES

. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address not in

ADDRESSES

. We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see

DATES

).

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

You may view and comment on others' public comments at

https://www.regulations.gov

unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

If you submit a comment at

https://www.regulations.gov,

your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531

et seq.

), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.

III. Permit Applications

We invite comments on the following applications.

Applicant: North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, NC 27205; Permit No. PER13416102

The applicant requests a permit to import 50 samples taken from wild-origin Virgin Island tree boas (

Epicrates monensis granti

) to the North Carolina Zoo, located in Asheboro, North Carolina, for the purposes of scientific research. This notification is for a single import.

Applicant: Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, TX; Permit No. PER11682955

The applicant requests a permit to export 28 live captive-born Orinoco crocodile (

Crocodylus intermedius

) to Faunca Silvestre Productos y Servicios in Venezuela, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single export.

Applicant: University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, AK; Permit No. PER11888646

The applicant requests a permit to import scientific specimens from the bird species listed below with the specified origin, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification is for a single import.

Common name

Scientific name

Red siskin

Carduelis cucullata.

Edward's pheasant

Lophura edwardsi.

Swinhoe's pheasant

Lophura swinhoii.

Seychelles fody

Foudia sechellarum.

Red-tailed amazon

Amazona brasiliensis.

Cuban amazon

Amazona leucocephala leucocephala.

Vinaceous-breasted amazon

Amazona vinacea.

Hyacinth macaw

Amazona hyacinthus.

Blue-throated macaw

Ara glaucogularis.

Military macaw

Ara militaris mexicana.

White cockatoo

Cacatua alba.

Salmon-crested cockatoo

Cacatua moluccensis.

Sulphur-crested cockatoo

Cacatua sulphurea.

Golden parakeet

Guaruba guarouba.

Pileated parrot

Pionopsitta pileata.

Golden-shouldered parrot

Leucopsar rothschildi.

Hooded parrot

Psephotus dissimilis.

Bali myna

Leucopsar rothschildi.

Applicant: Duke University, Durham, NC; Permit No. PER11738565

The applicant requests authorization to import biological specimens from the aye-aye (

Daubentonia madagascariensis

); Eastern woolly lemur (

Avahi laniger

); gray-headed lemur (

Eulemur cinereiceps

); black-and-white ruffed lemur (

Varecia variegata

); various lemur species of the genera

Cheirogaleus, Hapalemur, Lepilemur,

and

Microcebus

from Madagascar; and biological specimens from the bonobo (

Pan paniscus

) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Permit No. PER11887512

The applicant requests to amend their captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) to include the blue-billed curassow (

Crax alberti

), to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Metro Richmond Zoo, Moseley, VA; Permit No. PER13186673

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Common name

Scientific name

African lion

Panthera leo melanochaita.

African lion

Panthera leo leo.

African penguin

Spheniscus demersus.

Asian tapir

Tapirus indicus.

Black-and-white ruffed lemur

Varecia variegata variegata.

Orangutan

Pongo pygmaeus.

Orangutan

Pongo abelii.

Central American tapir

Tapirus bairdii.

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus.

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes.

Diana monkey

Cercopithecus diana.

Galapagos tortoise

Geochelone nigra.

Komodo Island monitor

Varanus komodoensis.

Lar gibbon

Hylobates lar.

Red-ruffed lemur

Varecia rubra.

Ring-tailed lemur

Lemur catta.

Siamang

Symphalangus syndactylus.

Snow leopard

Uncia uncia.

South American tapir

Tapirus terrestris.

Southern white rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum simum.

Applicant: Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA; Permit No. PER11845142

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Common name

Scientific name

African wild dog

Lycaon pictus.

Andean condor

Vultur gryphus.

Aruba Island rattlesnake

Crotalus unicolor.

Central American tapir

Tapirus bairdii.

Rothschild's starling

Leucopsar rothschildi.

Babirusa

Babyrousa babyrousa.

Blue-billed curassow

Crax alberti.

Blue-throated macaw

Ara glaucogularis.

Brushed-tailed rat-kangaroo

Bettongia penicillata.

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes.

Verreaux's sifaka

Propithecus verreauxi.

Francois' langur

Trachypithecus francoisi.

Giant otter

Pteronura brasiliensis.

Golden lion tamarin

Leontopithecus rosalia.

Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla.

Grevy's zebra

Equus grevyi.

Harpy eagle

Harpia harpyja.

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus.

Komodo Island monitor

Varanus komodoensis.

Mandrill

Mandrillus sphinx.

Maned wolf

Chrysocyon brachyurus.

Orangutan

Pongo pygmaeus.

Peninsular pronghorn

Antilocapra americana peninsularis.

Radiated tortoise

Geochelone radiata.

Ring-tailed lemur

Lemur catta.

Siamang

Symphalangus syndactylus.

Snow leopard

Uncia uncia.

Pudu

Pudu pudu.

Tiger

Panthera tigris.

Tomistoma

Tomistoma schlegelii.

Yellow-footed rock wallaby

Petrogale xanthopus.

Applicant: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH; Permit No. PER13556893

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for the koala (

Phascolarctos cinereus

), to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Recordbuck Ranch, Utopia, TX; Permit No. PER13957023

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for Arabian oryx (

Oryx leucoryx

), swamp deer (

Cervus duvauceli

), and red lechwe (

Kobus leche

), to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Northeastern University, Ocean Genome Legacy Center, Nahant, MA; Permit No. PER13438490

The applicant requests the renewal of their permit to export and re-import non-living museum specimens of endangered and threatened species previously legally accessioned into the permittee's collection for scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Recordbuck Ranch, Utopia, TX; Permit No. PER13967618

The applicant requests a permit authorizing the culling of excess Arabian oryx (

Oryx leucoryx

), swamp deer (

Cervus duvauceli

), and red lechwe (

Kobus leche

), from the captive herd maintained at their facility, to enhance the species' propagation and survival. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Multiple Trophy Applicants

The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted trophies of male bontebok (

Damaliscus pygargus pygargus

) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species.

• Adam Hall, Troy, PA; Permit No. PER13371204

• Todd Harmon, O'Fallon, MO; Permit No. PER13372478

• Alan Freilich, Moorhead, IA; Permit No. PER13301853

• James Hall, Troy, PA; Permit No. PER13373724

• Jason Soulliere, Romeo, MI; Permit No. PER13374211

• Christopher E. O'Connor, Dumfries, VA; Permit No. PER13406047

• James Phillip Bryant, Austin, TX; Permit No. PER13408401

• Mark T. Fitzgibbons, Topeka, KS; Permit No. PER13078805

• Douglas Milkey, Chelsea, MI; Permit No. PER12805698

• Alton J. Hall Jr., Covington, LA; Permit No. PER12714679

• Christopher E. McClain, Nashotah, WI; Permit No. PER13136192

• James Doty Jr., Broadview Heights, OH; Permit No. PER13301163

IV. Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the

Federal Register

. You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching

https://www.regulations.gov

for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to

regulations.gov

and search for “12345A”.

V. Authority

We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531

et seq.

), and its implementing regulations.

Timothy MacDonald,

Government Information Specialist, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 2024-30397 Filed 12-19-24; 8:45 am]

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