R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-37-3
No person shall buy, sell, offer for sale, store, transport, import, export, or otherwise traffic in any animal or plant, or any part of any animal or plant, whether living, dead, processed, manufactured, preserved, or raw if the animal or plant has been declared to be an endangered species by either the United States Secretaries of the Interior or Commerce or the director of the Rhode Island department of environmental management. The only exception to these prohibitions shall be for purposes of scientific research or educational display either of which must be done by or under the formal supervision of a legitimate college or university and then only upon the issuance of a special permit for each individual excepted species. The permit may be issued by the director of environmental management. The permit will be denied by the director if, in his or her opinion, issuance of the permit would not be entirely justified or entirely in the best interests of preservation and protection of the species involved. Under no circumstances will a permit be granted for exception if commercial considerations are involved in any way.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-37-3