CT Panel Votes To Ban Ownership Of Dangerous Animals

[DaveDragon]

Passed on Tuesday April 21st:

HIMP ATTACK REACTION
Panel Votes To Ban Ownership Of Dangerous Animals
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING | The Hartford Courant
April 22, 2009
Prompted by a vicious chimpanzee attack in Stamford, a key legislative committee voted Tuesday to ban the ownership of potentially dangerous animals.

The General Assembly's judiciary committee agreed to ban the private ownership of gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, kangaroos, wolverines, hyenas, elephants, alligators, crocodiles, rattlesnakes, cobras, pythons, and many other wild animals. The measure, approved 40-1, would also ban the ownership of a rhinoceros or hippopotamus.

Anyone violating the law could be charged with a class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to one year in prison.

The measure was prompted by an attack on Charla Nash, 55, in February by a 200-pound chimpanzee. Nash was critically injured and is now recovering at the Cleveland Clinic. Nash went to the home of her close friend, Sandra Herold, to help her with Herold's 14-year-old chimpanzee, Travis.
Travis attacked Nash, causing severe injuries to her face and hands. Police shot and killed the animal. Nash has had numerous surgeries to stabilize her condition and more are expected.

The bill, which had been approved 28-2 by the environment committee, still needs final approval by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Several Republicans said the bill goes too far because it also bans small monkeys that are often kept as pets. Rep. Bill Aman, a South Windsor Republican, said legislators should amend the bill to allow about 30 small monkeys, which generally weigh less than 30 pounds, to remain with their current owners.

"They have a track record of not being violent," said Aman, who agreed with Rep. William Hamzy of Plymouth that the small monkeys are treated "like children" by the families.

 

[DaveDragon]

General Assembly File No. 516
January Session, 2009 Substitute House Bill No. 6552
House of Representatives, April 6, 2009
The Committee on Environment reported through REP. ROY, R. Of the 119th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT BANNING THE POSSESSION OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ANIMALS AND THE IMPORTATION, POSSESSION AND LIBERATION OF WILD ANIMALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2009) (a) No person shall operate, provide, sell, use or offer to operate, provide, sell or use any computer software or service in this state that allows a person, when not physically present, to remotely control a firearm or weapon to hunt a live animal or bird.
(b) Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
Sec. 2. Section 26-40a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2009):
(a) No person shall possess a potentially dangerous animal. For the purposes of this section, the following wildlife, or any hybrid thereof, shall be considered [as] potentially dangerous animals:
(1) The felidae, including, but not limited to, the lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi cat, puma, lynx, [and] bobcat, [the] tiger, serval, caracal, jungle cat and Savannah cat;
(2) The canidae, including, but not limited to, the wolf, [and] coyote and fox; [and the]
(3) The ursidae, including, but not limited to, the black bear, grizzly bear and brown bear;
(4) The hominidae, including, but not limited to, the gorilla, chimpanzee and orangutan;
(5) The hylobatidae, including, but not limited to, the gibbon or "lesser ape";
(6) The cercopithecidae, including, but not limited to, the baboon and macaque;
(7) The macropodidae, including, but not limited to, the kangaroo and wallaby;
(8) The mustelidae, including, but not limited to, the wolverine;
(9) The hyaenidae, including, but not limited to, the hyaena;
(10) The elephantidae, including, but not limited to, the hippopotamidae, including the hippopotamus;
(11) The rhinocerotidae, including, but not limited to, the rhinoceros;
(12) The suidae, including, but not limited to, the warthog;
(13) The alligatoridae, including, but not limited to, the alligator and caiman;
(14) The crocodylidae, including, but not limited to, the crocodile;
(15) The gavialidae, including, but not limited to, the gavial;
(16) The elapidae, including, but not limited to, cobras, coral snakes and mambas;
(17) The viperidae, including, but not limited to, copperheads, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and all other adders and vipers;
(18) The rear-fanged members of the colubridae in the genera lothornis, boiga, thelotornis, thabdophis, enhydris, dispholidus, clelia, rhabdophis, hydrodynastes, philodryas and malpolon;
(19) The Burmese/Indian, African Rock, amethystine and reticulated of the pythonidae;
(20) The green, yellow and dark spotted anacondas of the boidae;
(21) The helodermatidae, including, but not limited to, Gila monsters and beaded lizards; and
(22) The Nile monitor, water monitor, black-throat monitor, white-throat monitor, crocodile monitor and komodo dragon of the varanidae.
[No person shall possess a potentially dangerous animal.]
(b) Any such animal illegally possessed may be ordered seized and may be relocated or disposed of as determined by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection. The Department of Environmental Protection shall issue a bill to the owner or person in illegal possession of such potentially dangerous animal for all costs of seizure, care, maintenance, [and] relocation or disposal of such animal. Additionally, any person who violates any provision of this section shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed [one] two thousand dollars, to be fixed by the court, for each offense. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct offense and in the case of a continuing violation, each day's continuance thereof shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may request the Attorney General to institute an action in Superior Court to recover such penalty and any amounts owed pursuant to a bill issued in accordance with this section and for an order providing such equitable and injunctive relief as the court deems appropriate.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to municipal parks, zoos [and] accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums or the Zoological Association of America, public nonprofit aquaria, nature centers, [or] museums [,] or laboratories and research facilities maintained by scientific or educational institutions [;] registered with the United States Department of Agriculture or to a person possessing a Bengal cat certified by an internationally recognized multiple-cat domestic feline breeding association as being without wild parentage for a minimum of four prior generations which cat was registered with the Commissioner of Agriculture on or before October 1, 1996, provided no such cat may be imported into this state after June 6, 1996. [; or to persons possessing animals legally on or before May 23, 1983.] In any action taken by any official of the state or any municipality to control rabies, a Bengal cat shall be considered not vaccinated for rabies in accordance with accepted veterinary practice.
(d) Any person who wilfully violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
Sec. 3. Section 26-55 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2009):
[No] (a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no person shall import or introduce into the state, or possess or liberate therein, any live fish, wild bird, wild mammal, reptile, amphibian or invertebrate unless such person has obtained a permit therefor from the commissioner. [, provided nothing in this section shall be construed to require such permit for any primate species that weighs not more than fifty pounds at maturity that was imported or possessed in the state prior to October 1, 2003.] Such permit may be issued at the discretion of the commissioner under such regulations as the commissioner may prescribe. The commissioner may by regulation prescribe the numbers of live fish, wild birds, wild mammals, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates of certain species which may be imported, possessed, introduced into the state or liberated therein. The commissioner may by regulation exempt certain species or groups of live fish from the permit requirements. The commissioner may by regulation determine which species of wild birds, wild mammals, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates must meet permit requirements. The commissioner may totally prohibit the importation, possession, introduction into the state or liberation therein of certain species which the commissioner has determined may be a potential threat to humans, agricultural crops or established species of plants, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates. The commissioner may by regulation exempt from permit requirements organizations or institutions such as municipal parks, zoos, laboratories and research [laboratories, colleges or universities] facilities maintained by scientific or educational institutions, museums, public nonprofit aquaria or nature centers where live fish, wild birds, wild mammals, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates are held in strict confinement.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the importation and possession of the following species is prohibited: (1) Any primate in the families cheirogaleidae, lemuridae, lepilemuridae, indriidae, lorisidae, loris, daubentoniidae, galagidae, galago, tarsiidae, callitrichidae, cebidae, pitheciidae or atelidae; (2) the sciuridae, including, but not limited to, the prairie dog; (3) the viverridae, including, but not limited to, the civet and genet; (4) any venomous species in the family arachnidea, including, but not limited to, the tarantula and scorpion; and (5) any poisonous species in the family dendrobatidae, including, but not limited to, poison arrow frogs.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection may issue a permit for the possession of a service primate to a permanently disabled person with a severe mobility impairment, provided such disabled person submits written certification to said commissioner: (1) From a licensed medical doctor attesting to such disabled personÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s disability, mobility impairment and the need for a service primate to provide an essential function that cannot be performed by the disabled person; (2) that such service primate was legally obtained, is from the genus Cebus and is trained by an accredited service primate training organization; and (3) that the organization furnishing the service primate to the disabled person is a nonprofit organization and is in compliance with all applicable federal and state animal welfare laws.
(d) Any such fish, bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian or invertebrate illegally imported into the state or illegally possessed therein [shall] may be seized by any representative of the Department of Environmental Protection and [shall] may be relocated or disposed of as determined by the commissioner. [Any person, except as provided in section 26-55a, who violates any provision of this section or any regulation issued by the commissioner as provided in this section shall be guilty of an infraction. Importation, liberation or possession of each fish, wild bird, wild mammal, reptile, amphibian or invertebrate in violation of this section or such regulation shall be a separate and distinct offense and, in the case of a continuing violation, each day of continuance thereof shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense.] The Department of Environmental Protection shall issue a bill to the owner or person in illegal possession of such animal for all costs of seizure, care, maintenance, relocation or disposal for such animal.
(e) Any person who violates any provision of this section or any regulation adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars, to be fixed by the court, for each offense. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct offense. In the case of a continuing violation, each day's continuance thereof shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may request the Attorney General to institute an action in Superior Court to recover such civil penalty and any amounts owed pursuant to a bill issued in accordance with subsection (d) of this section and for an order providing such equitable and injunctive relief as the court deems appropriate.
(f) Any person who wilfully violates any provision of this section or any regulation adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this section shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2009 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2009 26-40a
Sec. 3 October 1, 2009 26-55

Further explainations of possible penalties here http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/FC/2009HB-06552-R000516-FC.htm

 

[ashesc212]

Ok - so it passed already? It's official?

It seems reasonable...and that it doesn't apply to tegus. I am concerned about #19 though - I'm not sure I understand all the python terminology...you can still have some types of pythons right?

It seems that a bunch of the things that are outlawed are sort of unreasonable pets to own in the first place. Most states already have those policies I'm sure...like NJ, where I live.

What's your take on this?

 

[nemo66]

where in the us will this effect??? that's completely f*cking bogas. just because one man and his crazy ape Americans are deemed incompetent of keeping exotic animals??

 

[ashesc212]

where in the us will this effect??? that's completely f*cking bogas. just because one man and his crazy ape Americans are deemed incompetent of keeping exotic animals??

CT

 

[Beasty]

There's a lot on there I'd agree with but only a few I'd say don't necessarily need to be on there. Maybe those with permits or something. I mean, really..who needs a 25ft+ anaconda or a rhino? It blows my mind that you can buy Cobras, Rattlers and Alligators online and have them shipped to your door. THAT is crazy! I lived in Florida and it's illegal to have or harvest a gator without a permit, yet if you happen to live in the right state you can get one and name it "Fluffy" and have it as a pet until it chomps your arm off one day when it's 10ft long! I would agree there are a select few people who can handle such properly but there needs to be legislation of some sort to regulate things.
I just worry that if that one passes with Black Throat monitors and such on there who's to say they won't see a big tegu and flip out and slap them on the list as well. That would suck.

 

[Suzanne]

I agree with Beasty. Some animals just shouldn't be kept as pets. All in all it is pretty reasonable. Although I never knew that wallabies are considered a "dangerous animal".

I live in Ottawa Canada and Tegus and Iguanas are not permitted within city limits. Of course that hasn't stoped me .

 

[Suzanne]

Ok - so it passed already? It's official?

It seems reasonable...and that it doesn't apply to tegus. I am concerned about #19 though - I'm not sure I understand all the python terminology...you can still have some types of pythons right?

My understanding from what I read is that it's the big pythons that are illegal.

 

[DaveDragon]

Ok - so it passed already? It's official?

The bill, which had been approved 28-2 by the environment committee, still needs final approval by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

It still has a little ways to go. But it looks like they expect to have it passed by October 1, 2009.

What bothers me is they want to restrict the importation of many animals that aren't on the "dangerous" list, like birds. We have 5 birds and are getting another this week.

 

[ashesc212]

Is it all birds or just specific types of birds?

 

[DaveDragon]

Is it all birds or just specific types of birds?

This is the government!! That's available on a need to know basis!! :roll: I don't know!!! :mrgreen:

As usual it's all vague!

 

[Red Earth Exotics]

just another notch on the wall for our government taking away our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. i can maybe see a permit system, maybe, but the outright banning of burms, afrocks, amethystines and retics is ridiculous.