The breeding and raising in captivity of foxes, mink, chinchilla, marten, fisher, nutria and muskrat, and the marketing of such animals, shall be classified as farming and as an agricultural pursuit and all such animals so raised in captivity, or lawfully acquired, shall be classified as domestic animals. No person shall possess two or more such animals of opposite sex without first obtaining a fur breeder's license from the Department of Agriculture. The fee for such license shall be sixteen dollars. Such license shall be annual and nontransferable and shall expire on the thirty-first day of December after its issuance. All applications for such licenses shall be upon blanks prepared and furnished by the Commissioner of Agriculture. All license fees received by the commissioner under the provisions of this section shall be transmitted to the State Treasurer and by him be applied to the General Fund. All licensees shall keep a record of all such animals exchanged or transported by such licensees, whether the same are alive or dead, and shall report to the commissioner at the expiration of the license period, on forms furnished by the commissioner, the number of animals possessed at the beginning of the license period, those disposed of during such period and the number of animals on hand at the close of the period. For purposes of disease control, the commissioner at his discretion may require special import or export permits for any specified period. Said commissioner, in the interest of protecting game or domestic animals from disease, may confiscate animals possessed by licensees referred to herein, and may quarantine the same, and may destroy such animals when, in his opinion, such action is advisable. Any license granted under the provisions of this section may be revoked by the commissioner for a violation of any regulation made by him or a violation of any provision of this section. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than two hundred fifty dollars.

(1949, S. 2468d; 1957, P.A. 289, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 398, S. 6; 1961, P.A. 59; 67; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 77-614, S. 315, 610; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 43, 117; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e), (f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 291; P.A. 12-80, S. 15.)

History: 1961 acts replaced reference to board of agriculture and its director with references to livestock division of department of agriculture and natural resources and to commissioner of agriculture and natural resources, made import or export permits optional rather than mandatory, stated that breeding and raising fur animals is considered farming and that such animals are to be considered as domestic animals without exception rather than “for the purposes of this section”; Sec. 26-41 transferred to Sec. 22-12b in 1969; 1971 act replaced commissioner and department of agriculture and natural resources with commissioner and department of agriculture; P.A. 77-614 deleted reference to livestock division, effective January 1, 1979; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 increased license fee from $4 to $8; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner and Department of Agriculture with Commissioner and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 increased license fee from $8 to $16 and made a technical change; P.A. 12-80 replaced penalty of a fine of not more than $100 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days or both with a fine of not more than $250.

See Sec. 26-72 re regulation of trapping of fur-bearing animals.