During the last week of September, three U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Inspectors collaborated with the Canadian Wildlife Service to detain and inspect vehicles coming in and out of Alaska at the Alcan Port of Entry near Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory. Their purpose was to enforce federal, state, foreign, and international wildlife laws and regulations; including the Endangered Species Act, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Lacey Act, Alaska State Hunting Regulations, and Canada’s Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act. In addition, the Inspectors provided information to the general public and U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff concerning these wildlife laws.
During that week, Wildlife Inspectors contacted a total of 1149 vehicles (incoming or outgoing). All drivers were asked whether they were traveling with live or dead wildlife, wildlife parts, or wildlife products. If they were, the drivers were detained and these items were inspected. Although this effort resulted in several wildlife violations, most of the individuals detained, including the 52 hunters interviewed, were very supportive of the effort made by Inspectors to educate and inspect vehicles at the border. In addition, three trailered boats were inspected for invasive Zebra and Quagga mussels and all were found clean of these species.
Drivers of the hundreds of vehicles that were not inspected were also informed about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s efforts to enforce wildlife laws, helping to conserve wildlife for Americans and Canadians now and in the future.
