Bill Description:
This bill makes it unlawful for a person to import, possess, sell, transfer or breed a dangerous wild animal. The definition of dangerous wild animal includes alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials, many species of snake, hyenas, aardwolves, nonhuman primates, many species of bear, big cats, gray wolves, and red wolves who have been bred in captivity.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
• A federally-licensed circus or zoological park that meets certain guidelines, including a prohibition on public contact with the dangerous wild animals.
• A research facility.
• A wildlife sanctuary.
• A veterinarian licensed for the purpose of providing treatment to a dangerous wild animal.
• Law enforcement officers, game wardens, and other agents of the Department of Wildlife for the purpose of enforcing state laws.
• A person transporting a legally possessed dangerous wild animal through the state for a period of not more than 48 hours with certain restrictions.
• An animal shelter temporarily housing a dangerous wild animal at the written request of an animal control agency or law enforcement officer.
• A person with a Class C exhibitor license who has an active written contract regarding the possession, breeding or exhibition of dangerous wild animals with a resort hotel, and meets other requirements. A person who had such a contract during the 2 years preceding July 1, 2017 also falls under this exemption.
• A resort hotel that possesses dangerous wild animals and meets certain requirements.
• A person who lawfully possessed a dangerous wild animal before July 1, 2017, if that person meets certain requirements and follows applicable guidelines.
Background:
Across the United States, millions of exotic animals are kept captive in private homes and in roadside zoos and menageries. The trade in exotic animals is a multi-billion dollar industry, and exotic animals are bred, sold, and traded in large numbers.
The ownership of dangerous wild animals as pets, threatens public safety and has grave implications for animal welfare. According to Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database, there have been multiple attacks by exotic pets in Nevada. For example, in Las Vegas in 2009, a pet python bit and squeezed a 3-year old child to the point of unconsciousness. Exotic animals may be cute when they are young, but they grow to be strong and aggressive. A wild animal cannot – and should not – be domesticated.
Further, the conditions in which privately-owned exotic animals are kept also raise serious animal welfare concerns. Most people cannot provide the special care, housing, diet, and maintenance that exotic animals require. Many animals endure abusive conditions that may include small cages, tethering, and tooth extraction to “tame” them. They usually cannot engage in natural behaviors, and are deprived of fulfilling interactions with other members of their species. When they become too big to handle, they are often confined in isolation or sometimes simply turned loose, endangering the local community and nearby wildlife.
Take Action:
Nevada citizens, contact your state Assembly member and urge them to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.