Bill Description:
This bill makes it illegal for a person to possess, sell, transfer, or breed a dangerous wild animal. It also prohibits a person who owns a dangerous wild animal from allowing a member of the public to come into direct contact with the animal.[teaserbreak]
A dangerous wild animal is defined as a non-human primate, lion, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard, jaguar, cheetah, mountain lion, hybrid exotic cat, wolf, bear, and hyena/aardwolf. The bill gives law enforcement officers the authority to confiscate one of these animals if this law is violated.
Exemptions:
• Nonprofit animal protection organizations, such as humane societies and shelters, housing a dangerous wild animal temporarily at the written request of a law enforcement officer
• Wildlife sanctuaries
• Law enforcement or conservation officers acting under the scope of their authority
• Veterinary hospitals providing treatment to a dangerous wild animal
• Research facilities holding a Class R registration under the Animal Welfare Act
• A person who is traveling through the state with a regulated species if the transit time is not more than 24 hours, the animal is not exhibited, and the animal is contained at all times
• A zoo or circus that holds a valid United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Class C license, provided that they:
- – Do not employ a person who has direct contact with a dangerous wild animal or who has been found guilty of animal abuse or neglect
- – Have not been cited by the USDA for refusing access to an inspector in the previous 3 years
- – Do not allow direct contact between the public and the animals
- – Maintain liability insurance
- – Have a written plan, filed with the department, for handling an animal escape
- – File an annual report with the department about all the animals acquired and disposed of
• A person who legally owns one of these animals prior to July 1, 2017 may keep the animal for the remainder of the animal’s life, as long as they register the animal with the state.
Background:
Check out our page on exotic pets for more details on why private ownership of wild animals is both cruel and dangerous. Additionally, read our 2016 report on the online sales of exotic pets, Downloading Cruelty: An Investigation into the Online Sales of Exotic Pets in the U.S., here.
Take Action:
Indiana residents, contact your state representative and urge him or her to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.