Display

When displaying species listed under The Wildlife & Countryside Act, this presents no problem as the General Licence covers you - but when dealing with CITES species, especially those listed on Annex "A" of EC Regulations 338/97 (updated 1332/05) a licence (Article 10) will be required if the specimen is being displayed for commercial gain. It is here that things seem to get confusing.

If you are a taxidermist or dealer displaying an Annex "A" specimen in your workshop or commercial premises, then this would constitute displaying for commercial gain. In fact the items on display would be advertising your business (whether they are marked for sale or not). This becomes complicated when, as most taxidermists do, you work from home. The question then is which part of your home is classified as commercial. The shed in your garden where you actually work is certainly a commercial area. However one of those little "grey areas" presents itself if you invite customers into your house for a coffee and a chat. Anything displayed in those rooms are therefore being seen by the public and could therefore be advertising your business. In this case a licence would be required (or at least highly recommended). A Barn Owl displayed in your bedroom however would be considered private and non-commercial.

The law can get a little carried away when as an example, certain Police forces who borrow (at no cost) my Snow Leopard skin, so that they can display it at a Country fair for educational purposes, found recently to everybody's astonishment that a licence was required simply because a charge was made at the gate to get into that Country fair. Now this skin was part of my own collection and not on display or for sale, so no licence for my purpose was required. Suffice it to say the problem was sorted and a special licence was issued allowing the display for educational purposes, just so the Police were covered.

This then is what we are dealing with, so when displaying any species listed Annex "A", think carefully before putting a nail in the wall.

Until current Government policy changes (and there are moves afoot) - all taxidermists and/or dealers are recommended to cover everything with a sales licence - whether its for sale or not.

Any worked specimen proved to originate prior to 1947 and unaltered since that date is of course no problem, as it is exempt from Article 10 licensing.

 

 

This company or individual cannot accept any responsibility for information given that is either misinterpreted by the author or the recipient and which is based either on experience gained or a matter of law where the precedence is yet to be decided by a court of law. Any information or guidence given is purely an opinion, therefore it is recommended that accredited legal advise is sought where appropriate.