Didn't say friend was just my assumption. The article that reported authorities confiscating his animals mentioned they were being confiscated because he did not have the proper permits to keep them. So obviously they were being kept illegally. I don't know about Canada, but in the US when regulations are passed they almost never grandfather in anyone. They just give you a time frame to give up your banned animal. In this case, I imagine that if they came up with a permit system they would not have grandfathered in anything.