The Arizona Revised Statutes have been updated to include the revised sections from the 56th Legislature, 1st Regular Session. Please note that the next update of this compilation will not take place until after the conclusion of the 56th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session, which convenes in January 2024.
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This online version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is primarily maintained for legislative drafting purposes and reflects the version of law that is effective on January 1st of the year following the most recent legislative session. The official version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is published by Thomson Reuters.
A. Notwithstanding section 17-239 or any other provision of this title, if the secretary of the interior publishes in the federal register a determination for the removal of jaguar (felis onca) from the list as required under section 4(c) of the endangered species act of 1973, as amended, (P.L. 93-205; 87 Stat. 884; 16 United States Code sections 1531 through 1544):
1. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly kill, wound or possess a jaguar or any part thereof.
2. A person who unlawfully kills, wounds or possesses a jaguar or any part thereof:
(a) Is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.
(b) Is liable for civil damages of not more than seventy-two thousand five hundred dollars for each violation.
B. Subsection A of this section does not apply to:
1. A jaguar or parts of a jaguar that were lawfully possessed under state and federal law before August 21, 1997.
2. Any person who kills or wounds a jaguar, if it can be shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the person committed an act based on a good faith belief that the person was acting to protect himself, a member of the person's family or any other individual from bodily harm from the jaguar.
C. A person shall notify the department within five days after killing or wounding a jaguar under subsection B, paragraph 2 of this section. A jaguar that is killed or wounded pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 2 of this section shall not be retained, sold or removed from the site without authorization from the department.