Selling Vintage Family Jewelry Containing Wildlife Parts

February 3, 2011

Question: While cleaning out a relative’s attic recently, I came across some Native American jewelry. I showed it to a few people and they said that some of the pieces have bear claws and even lion claws on them. They also have some bird feathers. I have no need for the jewelry and was thinking of selling them, but someone told me that bear parts are illegal to sell in California. Is this true? What about the other things? Where can I find a list of what can and cannot be sold? (Melanie)

Answer: The basic law prohibiting the sale of any bird or mammal found in the wild in California is Fish and Game Code section 3039. But, there are numerous exceptions scattered throughout the code and Commission regulations and there is no one document that clearly explains what is legal to sell. Here are some helpful tips from DFG retired Captain Phil Nelms:

1.   Selling bear parts in California, even as part of jewelry or art, is illegal.

2.   If by “lion” you mean mountain lion, then that is illegal. The sale of African lion parts is also illegal under the California Penal Code, section 653(o).

3.   To provide a useful answer regarding the feathers, we will need to know what bird species the feathers were from and how they were originally acquired. If they are species found in the wild in California and/or were taken by sport hunting, there is little chance you could legally sell them in California.

4.   For more information, both the Fish and Game Code and the California Code of Regulations are available online at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/.