We, the undersigned Arkansas residents, animal keepers, breeders, educators, business owners, conservationists, and other concerned citizens, respectfully request that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reform its captive wildlife regulations to provide a more transparent, science-based, and species-specific regulatory process.

We recognize and support AGFC's responsibility to protect Arkansas's native wildlife, ecosystems, agriculture, and public safety. Responsible regulation is necessary. However, regulation should also accurately reflect the actual risk presented by an individual species.

Under the current framework, captive wildlife is classified as Unrestricted, Permit Required, or Prohibited, and species that have not yet been evaluated and placed on an approved list are prohibited by default. 

This structure can place species with significantly different biological characteristics, environmental tolerances, adult sizes, behaviors, reproductive capabilities, and potential risks under the same regulatory treatment simply because of their taxonomic relationship or because an individual species has not yet been evaluated.

We are asking AGFC to:

Prioritize species-specific evaluations whenever reliable scientific information allows individual species to be evaluated independently.

Avoid unnecessarily broad taxonomic restrictions when the available evidence demonstrates meaningful differences in risk among species within a genus, family, or other taxonomic group.

Create a practical pathway for unevaluated species so that responsible ownership is not indefinitely prohibited solely because a species has not yet been reviewed.

Publish clear reasoning and supporting evidence for decisions to classify species as Unrestricted, Permit Required, or Prohibited.

Give meaningful consideration to peer-reviewed research and other credible scientific evidence submitted by stakeholders during species evaluations and regulatory reviews.

Continue meaningful stakeholder participation by providing opportunities for keepers, veterinarians, researchers, conservationists, zoological professionals, businesses, and other knowledgeable individuals to contribute information before significant captive wildlife regulations are adopted.

AGFC itself described the captive wildlife regulations as a “living document” when the current science-based evaluation framework was established in 2019, with staff continuing to develop the code as additional species were assessed.  We believe that principle remains important today.

This petition is not a request to eliminate captive wildlife regulation, nor is it a request for unrestricted ownership of every species.  It is a request for regulation that is proportionate to demonstrated risk, scientifically supported, transparent, and as species-specific as reasonably possible.

Arkansas can protect its native wildlife and natural resources while also recognizing responsible captive wildlife ownership, education, conservation, and legitimate businesses.

By signing, I am asking AGFC to support transparent, science-based, species-specific captive wildlife regulation and a meaningful process for evaluating currently prohibited or unevaluated species.