The law

The rules for exporting wild animals from Ontario depend on:

  • if you are a resident of Ontario or a non-resident
  • the type of wild animal you want to export

Legal possession

To export a dead wild animal, both Ontario residents and non-residents must legally possess the animal. Usually, you have legal possession if you hunted the animal yourself.

If you have legally acquired the animal by finding it yourself or receiving it as a gift, you may need to register a Notice of Possession. Once you register a Notice of Possession:

  • you legally possess the animal
  • the animal can be exported

Source law

This is a summary of the provincial laws. You can find a complete set of rules related to this activity in:

Read the keep a dead wild animal page for more information on dead wild animals and how to register a Notice of Possession.

Rules for Ontario residents

You can export dead wild animals outside the province, if you have acquired the animal legally.

This applies to:

  • most wild animals killed in Ontario (including deer, elk, moose and wild turkeys)
  • taxidermy mounts
  • the tanned hides of dead wild animals

When you need a permit and/or licence

To take a furbearing mammal (live or dead) or its pelt (untanned skin) out of Ontario, you need an Export Licence for Furbearing Mammals or Their Pelts.

In some cases, you need additional approvals to export certain species from Canada. You cannot export an animal from Canada that’s protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, without a special permit (called a CITES permit).

Rules for non-residents

You can only export from Ontario as many wild animals as you are allowed to have by law.

This information is available in Ontario’s Hunting Regulation Summary – where you can also find details on hunting for non-residents.

In some cases, you need an export permit and/or licence to export certain animals (such as furbearing mammals and some species of big game).

When you need an export permit and/or licence as a non-resident

You need a permit and/or licence to export:

  • a moose, deer, elk or black bear (Non-Resident Export Permit)
  • a furbearing mammal (live or dead) or its pelt (untanned skin) out of Ontario (Export Licence for Furbearing Mammals or Their Pelts)
  • a species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora out of Canada (CITES permit)

In some cases, you may require multiple permits and/or licences, depending on the animal. For example, you need a Non-Resident Export Permit and a CITES permit, if you plan to export a black bear out of Canada.

When no permit and/or licence is needed as a non-resident

In most cases, non-residents do not need a permit and/or licence to export:

  • taxidermy mounts
  • tanned hides or pelts

Get a Non-Resident Export Permit

You can get a Non-Resident Export Permit to export a moose, deer, elk or black bear:

Non-resident Export Permits are valid for 30 days from the date of purchase.

Cost: $35

We may issue sub-permits when the harvested animal has been divided into parts and the parts will be exported separate from each other.

Species at risk

Special rules apply to both Ontario residents and non-residents for endangered or threatened species. You can only keep a protected species under very limited circumstances (such as for scientific and education purposes).

Protected species are listed on the Species at risk in Ontario list

Export licence for furbearing mammals

Both Ontario residents and non-residents need an export licence for any of these furbearing mammals:

  • beaver
  • bobcat
  • coyote
  • fisher
  • fox (Arctic, red)
  • lynx
  • marten
  • mink
  • muskrat
  • opossum
  • otter
  • raccoon
  • red squirrel
  • striped skunk
  • weasel (least, long-tailed, short-tailed or ermine)
  • wolf

To get an export licence for a furbearing mammal, contact a local ministry work centre.

Get a CITES export permit

A CITES permit allows both Ontario residents and non-residents to export a species protected under CITES (such as black bear, wolf).

In some cases, you don’t need a CITES permit if you are a Canadian or US resident (such as hunters who lawfully kill and then export a fresh, frozen or salted black bear carcass).

Where to get one: Available through Environment and Climate Change Canada

Cost: free (no fee)

Processing time: please allow up to 21 days to get a permit.

List of species under CITES