Caribou. Pen and ink drawing by Laura Friis.
Shipping Specimens:
Teeth & Calcified Tissue
International Requirements
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Cementum Age Analysis

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Artist Laura Friis

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What's New?

During 2009 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) increased the fee the agency charges for importing teeth or any wildlife or wildlife part. Currently, there is a $145U.S. import fee for all parcels of teeth from protected species sent to the laboratory for processing, and $89U.S. for teeth from unprotected species. Matson’s is required to pay these import fees, but pending evaluation of options we have not been passing along this increased cost to our clients. We requested from the USFWS a “scientific” classification for the laboratory, which requires a lower import fee but the request was denied. We regret the additional cost this adds to our service, which is particularly burdensome for clients with small samples of just a few teeth. To offset the cost, beginning 1 October 2009 Matson’s will charge a flat fee of $50 for any import regardless of sample size or species protection status. To recover the remaining cost, we will add a small price increase across the board for all our laboratory services.

Two of our Canadian clients sent narratives describing the steps they have taken to successfully comply with the new CITES permit requirements and Customs validation. To view, please go to Narratives.

Pre-shipment Checklist for Teeth and Calcified Tissue

  • Indicate species.
  • Use the species-specific standard tooth type or indicate substitutions.
  • Bundle envelopes together in groups to match the master inventory list.
  • Make the master inventory list using Microsoft Excel.
    • Group the species. (Fisher canines: group genders.)
    • List numbers in serial order.
    • Indicate date of kill or of extraction from live animals.
    • Indicate gender for black bears (and any species for which a gender-specific age summary will be done.)
  • Electronic copies of Microsoft Excel master inventory list: Send as an e-mail attachment or enclose a diskette or CD inside the parcel.
  • Shipments from outside US: Enclose permits inside the package; use recommended contents description on the outside of the package.

Matson's Laboratory LLC
US Post Office address:
PO Box 308, Milltown MT 59851 USA
Physical address (for UPS, FedEx, and other couriers):
8140 Flagler Road, Milltown MT 59851 USA
Email address: gjmatson@montana.com

Description of Checklist Items:

Organize the specimens by species. Because of size and morphology differences, specimens of each species are processed separately. Package specimens of each species separately.

Matson's cementum aging models are species-specific. For example, white-tailed deer I1 and mule deer I1 are aged by different models because the teeth erupt at different ages in the two species.

Place teeth dry in small paper envelopes of approximately 8 x 14 cm (coin envelopes work well). Do not use preservative liquids, plastic bags, or vials. Put envelopes in serial order by identification number. Use rubber bands to bundle the envelopes together in groups of 10 or 20 so they will remain in serial order during transit.

Prepare an Inventory List using Microsoft Excel. The serial order of the list should correspond exactly with the serial order of envelope packaging so technicians can use it to confirm specimen identification at the start of laboratory processing. Include the list in the parcel, on a diskette or CD, or send it as an e-mail attachment.

The inventory list should also include species identification of the specimens and an indication of date of kill. Exact days should be recorded for dates between February 1 and August 31.

The cementum age of an unidentified non-standard tooth type may be incorrect because the animal's age at the time of tooth eruption may differ from that of the standard type. Technicians may not always recognize a non-standard tooth, so each should be plainly designated on both the tooth envelope and on the master inventory list.

Package specimens only in containers of the strongest cardboard or, for small orders, in padded envelopes. Light cardboard cartons will often be crushed and torn during postal handling. Paper envelopes will be torn by postal service canceling machines and the contents will by lost. Pad the shipments with shipping "popcorn" or paper to help keep the envelope bundles intact.

PACKAGE MARKING: Put this language on customs labels and/or an additional package label: CONTENTS DRIED SPECIMENS FOR SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS. NON-ETIOLOGIC, NON-HAZARDOUS, NON-PERISHABLE.

Ship packages properly. All shipments to Matson's Lab from all countries outside the U.S. must use regular government mail services. DO NOT use any courier (Federal Express, Purolator, DHL, etc.) Ship to: PO Box 308, Milltown MT 59851 USA.

 

International shipments have additional requirements:

ENDANGERED OR THREATENED SPECIES (ESA) PERMITS:
Some species, the Woodland Caribou in Southeast B.C. for example, are on the U.S. Endangered or Threatened list but may not be listed in CITES appendices. Special permits are required for these species; if you have any reasonable expectation that the species in your sample may be listed, please check before continuing with shipment preparations. The permitting process may take as long as 90 days, and must be started first by Matson's Lab. Contact us first so we can apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the permit.

CITES PERMITS (Please study all the below information. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun a new and absolutely strict, no exceptions policy of requiring compliance with all the CITES Treaty export/import documentation terms. Any flaw in the CITES permit document, no matter how minor, will result in the shipment being returned to the sender.): In compliance with the International Convention for Threatened and Endangered Species (CITES), permits must accompany biological specimens sent to Matson's Lab for processing. Permits are required for mammals listed in CITES Appendix I or Appendix II, either in the country of origin or in the US. In addition, permits are also required for mammals resembling threatened or endangered species (for example: the North American black bear).

Please enclose the original CITES permit and all copies except the one for your records in an envelope inside the parcel. Put the envelope in a place where it will be easily found when the parcel is opened.

WARNING: Actual quantities and species of teeth sent to Matson's Lab MUST MATCH EXACTLY the quantities and species given in the accompanying CITES permits. If these do not match, the CITES permit will not be cleared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the parcel will be returned to the sender.

To inquire about the status of the species for which you have specimens, please contact Matson's Lab. For permits, contact your closest government wildlife management agency.

New requirement by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for CITES species - Customs Validation at time of export: The USFWS now requires Customs validation of the CITES permit at the time of export. At the time the parcel is shipped, a Customs official must add required information, then sign and stamp the box located at the lower portion of the permit document. Please follow only the steps given below in carefully checking the CITES permit document and shipping the parcel. Please follow no other procedure. As far as we have been able to tell, no other procedure will be successful.

1. Check the CITES permit document. Confirm that the information is complete and correct. Following is a list of the deficiencies that have caused the permit to be rejected at the time of import, resulting in the return of the teeth to the sender:

a. CITES permit “valid until” date has expired. The date given at the time the permit has obtained was not far enough in the future to allow for the delay in handling and transportation. Make sure to allow at least 4 months for these delays, so the permit will be valid at the time we receive the parcel.

b. Quantity of teeth is different from what is actually in the parcel. If the quantity given on the permit is greater or lesser than the quantity actually received, the permit will not be valid and the teeth will be returned to the sender.

c. The Customs Validation is missing, or is incomplete. All information specified in the Validation Block must be supplied. This will include: The actual quantity of specimens exported or re-exported: (i) Using the same units of measurement as those on the CITES document. (ii) Validated or certified by the stamp or seal and signature of the inspecting authority at the time of export or re-export. Following below is an example of a Customs authorization that is invalid, even though most information is provided, and it is stamped and signed by the Customs officer. The validation is invalid because the Officer failed to record the quantity shipped:

2. Hand carry the parcel to a Customs office near a government mail postal office and obtain the validation just before mailing the parcel. Shippers may want to contact the Customs office in advance and confirm that officials are familiar with the handling of the CITES document. If difficulty is encountered in obtaining the validation, please contact Matson’s Lab; we may be able to help. Do not use a Customs broker or a private courier (FedEx, DHL, etc.). They do not service CITES shipments. An uninformed individual agent may accept the parcel, but the CITES permit may not be correctly validated and the parcel may not be successfully transported to the destination.

CARRIER: Use only government mail services. Transportation may be expedited by using INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS MAIL, a category that must be specifically requested at the time of mailing. DO NOT USE ANY PRIVATE COURIER: Complications and additional charges are likely to result. As far as Matson's has been able to learn, no courier will service CITES shipments. Ship by regular government mail with permits and marking as described above. The use of mail will be more economical and faster than if the parcel is handled by courier.

WARNING: OUTFITTERS, TAXIDERMISTS, HUNTERS: Matson's Laboratory is no longer able to process teeth received from private individuals outside the U.S. Any teeth we receive must be discarded.

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Matson's Laboratory LLC
8140 Flagler Road
PO Box 308
Milltown MT 59851
Phone/Fax (406)258-6286 | Email: ittw@montana.com

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