Denial of Blue Iguana Permits for Reptile Collector Upheld

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to block a group from exporting or displaying blue iguanas was backed up by evidence, and therefore should be upheld, the D.C. Circuit affirmed Friday.

Blue iguanas are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and therefore are restricted from being collected, traded, or exported without a valid permit. The permit is designed to “enhance the propagation or survival of a protected species,” according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The Phoenix Herpetological Society sought permits to export four blue iguanas to a Danish zoo and ...