SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif- If you've been on craigslist lately you may have seen bear rugs, live pigs and deer antlers. The selling and buying of these products or any California wildlife is illegal. It's an ongoing problem according to the Department of Fish and Game.
The Department of Fish and Game said most people who sell or buy the wildlife are unaware that it is illegal in the state of California. The animals are sold from people's homes, the flea market, or even more popular craigslist. The fines if a person is caught selling, buying or even trading California wildlife can be steep. "It can run you anywhere from 150 up to 600 dollars, it's classified as a misdemeanor," said Sean Kenady, a Warden with the Department of Fish and Game.
Its items that you might see at antique shops, and think nothing of it. "Animals such as bear, abalone, sturgeon, are three of the premier animals that we have seen sold," said Kenady.
The department said the problem with selling these items is it can lead to even more serious offenses. "They'll take more than they normally would or take over limits, if people start to attach a dollar figure to California wildlife that leads to higher poaching and other violations," said Kenady.
Legally a person could simply give away their wildlife stock. "It can be gifted, there's nothing wrong with a person legally taking a deer with a deer tag, preparing a mount and then gifting it to someone else, there's no problem there, the problem occurs when you have a dollar figure attached to the animal," said Kenady.
