Section 27-2-9. Taxidermist licenses; unlawful acts and omissions by taxidermists

   (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of taxidermy or provide taxidermy services to anyone other than himself unless he has first been issued a taxidermist license by the department as provided in Code Section 27-2-23. Such license shall authorize the holder thereof to have, at his business premises, wildlife which has been legally taken for the sole purpose of preserving or mounting or preserving and mounting. Such license shall be issued only after submission of an application in such form and containing such information and conditions as may be prescribed by the department.

(b) Any wildlife at the business premises of a taxidermist must have a tag attached displaying a number that can be cross-referenced with the same number in the written records that are required in subsection (f) of this Code section. Any wildlife transferred to another taxidermist must have an additional tag attached showing the name, address, and telephone number of the taxidermist which has the original written record needed for cross-referencing to the numbered tag. Such tags may be removed as necessary during mounting but must otherwise remain on the wildlife until final disposition.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any taxidermist to fail to notify the department of any wildlife in his possession which he knows or reasonably should know was not legally taken.

(d) It shall be unlawful for a taxidermist to sell any wildlife or part thereof without the prior written permission of the commissioner or his designee; provided, however, that it shall not be unlawful for a taxidermist to mount and sell legally taken furbearers, deer, and squirrel, or parts thereof.

(e) It shall be unlawful for a taxidermist to possess or mount any game species for which there is no open season or any endangered, rare, threatened, or unusual species without obtaining a special permit from the department. There shall be no charge for such permit.

(f) It shall be unlawful for any taxidermist to fail to keep at his business premises a written record of all wildlife received by him, which record shall show the name and address of the owner, the date such wildlife was killed, the number and species of such wildlife, and the date received. Each taxidermist shall keep such records at his business premises until he has disposed of the specimen to which the records refer.

(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title to the contrary, it shall not be unlawful for a licensed taxidermist to mount and sell legally taken furbearers or alligators and alligator products without procuring a fur dealer's license.

Ga. L. 1976, p. 1674, § 1; Code 1933, § 45-308, enacted by Ga. L. 1977, p. 396, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 816, §§ 29, 30; Ga. L. 1981, p. 798, § 5; Ga. L. 1986, p. 485, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1988, p. 848, § 3; Ga. L. 1990, p. 386, § 1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 94, § 27; Ga. L. 1993, p. 91, § 27.