12 arrested for illegal purchase, possession of foxes and coyotes (ARREST LIST)

State investigators have charged 12 people with illegally purchasing and possessing live foxes and coyotes without permits. An additional 46 people received citations in the sting.

All of the charges are misdemeanors, officials said.

Three of the men arrested face charges in Okaloosa County and two face charges in Bay County. Another man faces charges in Okaloosa and Bay.

Officials from Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently ended a 10-month sting that involved undercover work and aerial surveillance of unlicensed hunting facilities, according to an FWC news release. The accused men were using dogs to hunt the foxes and coyotes in fenced enclosures, the FWC said.

Read a copy of the news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Permits are required to possess foxes and coyotes and it is unlawful to purchase the animals from an unlicensed person, the news release said. In addition, the enclosures must be permitted and meet state requirements. There currently are six permitted enclosures on private lands in Florida where dogs can chase foxes and coyotes.

With a valid permit, a person may import foxes into the state and release them into private fenced enclosures, but only if the animals are vaccinated and have been quarantined. Only those foxes from states that have been rabies-free for a year are allowed into Florida, the news release said.

“Certainly it, could be a nightmare to allow someone to bring rabid animals into the state,” FWC spokesman Stan Kirkland said. “It’s just a burden we don’t need.”

During the investigation, FWC officers posed as suppliers of foxes and coyotes that were illegally possessed and sold the animals to the suspects. The undercover officers told the suspects they did not have the proper permits to sell the animals, according to the news release.

“Over the past year, we have received numerous complaints regarding the enclosures,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in the release. “Last September, the other commissioners and I directed the FWC to conduct a comprehensive review of this practice and examine the agency’s permitting process and report back to us. This investigation is something we will weigh when we make decisions about the future operation of these enclosures.”