What Not to Eat

Sorry, You Absolutely Cannot Eat These Animals in New York State

Photo: istockphoto

To further yesterday’s tweet that kangaroo is back on the menu, Eight Mile Creek partner Andrew Jordan tells us that it was indeed the EPA that enforced a law citing kangaroo as an endangered species. “Our lawyer pursued it further and had a change in the state legislature that was signed by the governor into law to reflect that there are plenty of kangaroos,” Jordan tells us. The new code cites only the Tasmanian forester species as endangered, and others, such as the harvested free-range organic kangys that Eight Mile gets from its New Jersey wholesaler, are perfectly fine. For kangatarians (actually a trend in Australia!), the restaurant is currently serving $10 skewers (grilled medium rare, because kangaroo meat is very lean, and paired with ketchup made from Australian mountain berries) and a $29 six-ounce loin served with rosemary-infused sweet-potato mash and grilled veggies with a shiitake-mushroom red-wine reduction. Anyway, here’s a look at the law as it now stands, citing animals you shouldn’t even think about eating in New York.

§ 11-0536. Sale of certain wild animals or wild animal products
prohibited.

1. Except as provided in subdivision three hereof, no part of the skin
or body, whether raw or manufactured, of the following species of wild
animals or the animal itself may be sold or offered for sale by any
individual, firm, corporation, association or partnership within the
state of New York:–Leopard (Panthera pardus), Snow Leopard (Uuncia),
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Tiger (Panthera tigres), Asiatic
Lion (Panthera leo persica), Cheetah (Acinoyx jubatus), Alligators,
Caiman or Crocodile of the Order Crocodylia (except as provided in
subdivision two of this section), tortoises of the genus Gopherus,
marine turtles of the family Cheloniidae and the family Dermochelidae,
Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna), Wolf (Canis lupus), Red Wolf (Canis niger), or
Tasmanian Forester Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis) or Polar
Bear (Thalarctos maritimus), Mountain Lion, sometimes called Cougar
(Felis Concolar), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Ocelot (Felis pardalis), or
Margay (Felis wiedii), Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis),
or Black Rhinoceros (Dicero bicornis).

2. The commissioner may permit, under such terms and conditions as he
may prescribe, the importation and sale of the skin, body or parts
therefrom of Alligators, Caiman or Crocodile of the Order Crocodylia.

3. Any officer or agent authorized by the commissioner, or any police
officer of the state of New York, or any police officer of any
municipality within the state of New York, shall have authority to
execute any warrant to search for and seize any goods, merchandise or
wildlife sold or offered for sale in violation of this section, or any
property or item used in connection with a violation of this section;
such goods, merchandise, wildlife or property shall be held pending
proceedings in any court of proper jurisdiction. Upon conviction, or
upon the entry of a judgment restraining the sale or offer for sale of
such goods, merchandise or wildlife on the ground that such items were
sold or offered for sale in violation of this section, such seized
goods, merchandise or wildlife shall be forfeited and, upon forfeiture,
either offered to a recognized institution for scientific or educational
purposes, or destroyed.

4. The commissioner may permit, under such terms and conditions as he
may prescribe, the importation, transportation, possession or sale of
any species or subspecies of fish or wildlife listed in this section for
zoological, educational, and scientific purposes, and for the
propagation of such fish or wildlife in captivity for preservation
purposes, unless such importation, transportation, possession or sale is
prohibited by any federal law or regulation.

Sorry, You Absolutely Cannot Eat These Animals in New York State