Bogotá D.C., December 9^th 2009.  The Colombian Agriculture and Livestock Institute ICA, calls people than enter the country with pets, products and sub products of animal and plant origin in their luggage to be accompanied of the correspondent zoo or phytosanitary certification from the country of origin in order to maintain the country’s agriculture and livestock health.
 

ICA general manager, Luis Fernando Caicedo Lince, emphasized that the products that enter the country without origin certification or without fulfilling ICA requirements in valid resolutions, could be re embarked, seized or destroyed in order to mitigate pests and diseases risks, mainly the exotic ones, since they are not reported in the country, or endemic diseases of official control that can be introduced by plants, animals and their products as well as biologicals and medicines of agriculture and livestock usage.

 

The high ranked official also said, “the measure has been applied, however it is being reinforced in this holiday season since the passengers bring with their luggage or in their hand, various plant species as aromatic herbs, flowers, soil, seeds, roots and fruits mainly; likewise they arrive with sausages, aquaculture products, poultry, bovine, swine, sheep, ovine meat and milk derivatives.”

 

“It is common that travelers arrive with cats, rabbits, parrots and cacatuas among other animals that could be re embarked to their country of origin and in extreme cases slaughtered for not having required certifications to enter the country”, concluded, Caicedo Lince.

 

To enter domestic felines to the country, they should be accompanied of: international veterinary certificate in which it mentions that the animal did not show any clinical sign of rabies during the 48 hours previous to traveling and with vaccination certificates (valid for at most 60 days) for the following diseases: Rabies-inactivated virus (when arriving from countries where disease exists) and Feline Panleukopenia.
 

Entrance of domestic felines from countries with reports of native cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and feline is not allowed.

 

To enter the country, domestic canines must come with an international certification in which it is established that the animal did not present any clinical sign of rabies during the last 48 hours before embarking and updated vaccination certificates (at most 60 days old) for the following diseases: Rabies – inactivated virus (when coming from countries where the disease has been reported), distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis y Parvovirus. For countries that do not belong to the Andean Community, additional vaccine certification against parainfluenza and coronavirus should also be included.
 

Law  746 from July 19/2002, article 108-E,  prohibits imports of canine individuals from the races Staffordshire terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or canine progenies from crosses or hybrids from this races, due to their dangerous nature.

 

Species considered as pets (domestic birds, rodents), must request a zoo sanitary document of imports (ZDI), for which it is required to have an approved quarantine location by ICA.

 

When dealing with wild or exotic species (ferrets, chinchillas, birds) with CITES which should be previously requested to Licenses and permits direction from the Ministry of Environment, living and territorial development, to which licencias@minambiente.gov.co, it can be contacted and telephone 3323434 ext. 2368, Telefax 3404414 ext 2491 Bogotá. Likewise, for these cases, a quarantine location should be habilitated and the document should be obtained previous to their arrival.

 

Wild animals can not remain in Bogotá, where they can not be held. So, in case they come through the international airport El Dorado in Bogotá, they should have a mobilization permit issued by the District Secretary of Environment from the mayor of Bogotá, to which fauna@secretariadeambiente.gov.co, should be contacted at telephone 4441030 Ext. 681 Bogotá.

 

When dealing with company birds coming from United States or Canada, origin establishments should be registered with NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan) in United States and CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) in Canada. Some birds are required to come accompanied with a CITES document (Convention on International commerce of threaten species of fauna and wild flora). Before their entrance, a zoo sanitary import document should be requested (ZDI) and also to accomplish what is established in ICA resolution 1862 from June 12^th 2008.

 

In case of obtaining specific information about these situations, you can communicate through e-mail to Quarantine Technical Direction to cuarentena.animal@ica.gov.co

 

To export or taking out pets, the requirements of the country of destiny should be taken into account, which should be consulted by the interested people in consulates or respective embassies. 

 

1.           Show at ICA office the certificate from the veterinary issued no longer than three (3) days before the trip. This should be issued by a veterinary registered and with a professional card.

2.           Vaccination ID valid according to the animal’s age.

3.           Show the pet for inspection the traveling day or the day before.

4.           The port, airport or border passages´ veterinary, PAPF will issue due sanitary inspection certificate (CIS).

5.           Fares of technical services given by ICA will be charged according to valid resolutions and money should be deposited in accounts:

 

For El Dorado International Airport:

·                    BANCOLOMBIA savings account No 37221451849 in the name of ICA productos y servicios.

·                    BANCO POPULAR checking account No 110014031256 in the name of ICA productos y servicios.

 

Valid fare is $33.400 and office attention is from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $50.100 Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 m.

 

For countries such as Panama or Brazil the documents should be added previously.

 

 

Regulation 998 from the European parliament should be fulfilled (CE) in which zoo sanitary regulations are approved on company animals transport except to United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Malta, when they should:

 

1.           Be identified with an electronic system (Microchip ISO-15 digits).

2.           Be vaccinated against rabies

3.           Have been valued on neutralizing antibodies with favorable results (minimum 0.5UI/ml) in a sample taken by an approved private veterinary, at least twenty one (21) days after vaccination and three months before transport in an authorized laboratory.

4.           Animals that don’t fit these conditions will not be issued sanitary inspection certificate in the exit location.

 

Animal origin products for human consumption that enter the country as accompanying luggage, must fulfill requirements contained on Resolution 3865 from December 20^th 2005.

 

Before traveling with their pets, it is important to look up in the respective embassy or consulate the sanitary requirement demanded by the country of destination.

 

 

This year were re embarked two felines because they came from countries with cases reported by OIE of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) or feline, a dwarf pig, two ferrets, two ornamental birds, two hundred canaries that did not accomplish zoo sanitary requirements demanded by ICA when entering the country.