Zoo Atlanta Elephant Permit, Comment Deadline May 26

Content

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit application; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on an application to conduct certain activities
with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits
activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that
we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered
species.

DATES:

We must receive comments by May 26, 2026.

To ensure your comment is received and considered, you must submit it using one of the methods identified in the
ADDRESSES
section of this document. Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this document, or sent to an address not
listed here, will not be considered.

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available
for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2025-0672.

Submitting Comments: All submissions must include the docket number FWS-HQ-IA-2025-0672 for this document. You must submit comments using one of
the following methods:

• Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2025-0672.

• U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2025-0672; U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be
considered. We will not accept comments via email, fax, or hand delivery. We are not required to consider comments that are
submitted after the comment period ends or that are submitted via a method outside of these instructions. Comments containing
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate content will not be considered.

For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Timothy MacDonald, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on this application. Before issuing the requested
permit, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in
ADDRESSES
. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address not in
ADDRESSES
. We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see

DATES
).

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment.
Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and
recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative
information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy
comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request
at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will
be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves
as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the
ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits
certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued
under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation
or survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred
wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species
are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.

III. Permit Application

We invite comments on the following application.

Applicant: Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo dba Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA; Permit No. PER22760642

The applicant requests a permit to import one male and one female captive-bred giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan, the People's Republic of China, for the purpose of enhancing
the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single import.

IV. Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to the applicant listed
in this notice, we will publish a notice in the
Federal Register
. You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit
No. 12345A, you would go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for “12345A”.

V. Authority

We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

Scott Carleton, Acting Branch Manager, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority. [FR Doc. 2026-07929 Filed 4-22-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

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