Roachman26 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Does anyone know how hard it is to import fresh blood or entirely new species from any of the South American Countries? I used to work for a tropical fish importer in the 90's and we got weekly shipments from Belem, Brazil , Peru, Africa and Singapore among many other places. I was the guy who went to the LAX cargo area and picked them up after the government was done rifling through.... oh.. I meant "inspecting" them. Those idiots didn't know a Corydoras from a Pekoltia. BTW, we used to get really cool bugs by accident in some of the boxes. You should have seen some of the bugs running around our warehouse. I used to step on these giant roaches and it would make a huge mess. I now know they were one of the jumbo Blaberus species. Of course I never took any pics. I didn't even own a camera back then, but they looked just like B. giganteus and they were much bigger than my lone hisser boy. You had to stand on this step to reach the top tanks and they would dart under your feet as you moved around. It felt like stepping on a rat. They were unbelievably strong. Anyhow, I was thinking of giving my old boss a call and finding out what it would cost and how hard it would be to add a box of roaches to his next shipment of fish. Obviously he knows how to get all the import permits in order. We used to have a Brazilian woman who represented the seller in Belem come to the warehouse and visit from time to time. If I remember correctly he, had people that arranged all the permits for him. Maybe I can get in contact with them too. Please correct my ignorance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Does anyone know how hard it is to import fresh blood or entirely new species from any of the South American Countries? I used to work for a tropical fish importer in the 90's and we got weekly shipments from Belem, Brazil , Peru, Africa and Singapore among many other places. I was the guy who went to the LAX cargo area and picked them up after the government was done rifling through.... oh.. I meant "inspecting" them. Those idiots didn't know a Corydoras from a Pekoltia. BTW, we used to get really cool bugs by accident in some of the boxes. You should have seen some of the bugs running around our warehouse. I used to step on these giant roaches and it would make a huge mess. I now know they were one of the jumbo Blaberus species. Of course I never took any pics. I didn't even own a camera back then, but they looked just like B. giganteus and they were much bigger than my lone hisser boy. You had to stand on this step to reach the top tanks and they would dart under your feet as you moved around. It felt like stepping on a rat. They were unbelievably strong. Anyhow, I was thinking of giving my old boss a call and finding out what it would cost and how hard it would be to add a box of roaches to his next shipment of fish. Obviously he knows how to get all the import permits in order. We used to have a Brazilian woman who represented the seller in Belem come to the warehouse and visit from time to time. If I remember correctly he, had people that arranged all the permits for him. Maybe I can get in contact with them too. Please correct my ignorance. Importing insects is very different from importing fish. It is nearly impossible to import roaches as they are considered potential agricultural pests, where fish are not, and the fines for importing them would cost a fish importer his business and jail time as there would be "clear intent to distribute" as is the nature of his business. The government is alot more strict on livestock importation in 2010 than ever in history. The minimum fine now is $1000 PER ITEM instead of $300. The inspectors will not know one roach from another species wise, but will know what does and does not belong in a shipment- I can almost guarantee this. I have had my own extensive experiences with the government in this fashion.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 There is A LOT more red tape and agencies to go through to import our six legged friends (even though they don’t care about eight legged ones… go figure) then fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, probably humans… My BEST advice would to be just forgetting about it. Even when associated with research at a university, it’s so beyond ridiculous I can’t begin to describe it. It vexes me to the point I can’t see, it’s a totally F’ed up situation (I can’t think of a better word to describe it really) but still; all you can do in the end it just walk away. There is one was a thread around here somewhere involving ‘roaches in California… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roachman26 Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 There is A LOT more red tape and agencies to go through to import our six legged friends (even though they don’t care about eight legged ones… go figure) then fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, probably humans… My BEST advice would to be just forgetting about it. Even when associated with research at a university, it’s so beyond ridiculous I can’t begin to describe it. It vexes me to the point I can’t see, it’s a totally F’ed up situation (I can’t think of a better word to describe it really) but still; all you can do in the end it just walk away. There is one was a thread around here somewhere involving ‘roaches in California… I've read that thread before. I've contacted my guy that handles all my international travel with animals. He's looking in to it. He says he's transported insects before with no problems and didn't balk at the word "roach". He wants species names. He's also looking into captive stock out of Europe. I've got a friend working in Germany right now, checking to see if he can legally bring some back somehow. I realize, roaches are different, but sometimes it just depends on who you talk to. It just some guy behind a desk with a rubber stamp, you know. My guy has flown me in and out of Africa with baboons and six dogs on different occasions. He's gotten me in and out of Morocco and Mexico City with "attack" dogs, Korea with a Dalmation etc... This stuff is never easy, but if you do it every day for a living, and you know who to talk to and how to talk to them, you can make things happen, LEGALLY. If any one has a possible source for roaches that we don't have in culture here in the states please post it or PM me. Its my time to waste after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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