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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmodified Division 5 Wild & Dangerous Animals_for distribution_updatedUpdated 3 February 2020 1 Orange County Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) “Dangerous Animals Task Force” Participants: Chair Bryan Stuart; Current Members Amanda Schwoerke, Edmund Tiryakian, Beth Grooms, Irene Phipps, Bob Marotto, Rachel Plast; Past Members Susan Elmore, Evelyn Daniel --- Animal Control Ordinance DIVISION 5. – KEEPING OF WILD ANIMALS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY Sec. 4-181. Definitions. As used hereinafter, the following term shall mean: Wild Animals Potentially Dangerous to Persons and Property, hereinafter referred to as “Wild and Dangerous Animals”: The term applies to the following types of animals that are deemed dangerous and injurious to the public and/or domesticated animals and/or other property based on elevated risk of causing physical, zoonotic or epidemiological harm:  Venomous reptiles, defined as lizard and snake species or subspecies that are capable of injecting toxins that may cause severe pain, injury, and/or death to humans;  Crocodilians;  Large constricting snakes, meaning any heavy-bodied snake that feeds by constriction and which species, subspecies or hybrid may attain a total adult body length reaching or exceeding 10 feet, including, but not restricted to, Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), Reticulated Python [Python (=Malayopython) reticulatus), Burmese Python (Python bivittatus), Indian Python (Python molurus), African Rock Python (Python sebae), and Amethystine Python [Morelia (=Simalia) amethistina]i;  Felines other than the domestic house cat. Any hybrid of such felines with the domestic house cat (hereafter as “hybrid felines”) is permissible only if the hybrid is a filial 5 (F5) hybrid or later (defined as being five or more generations since the cross included a pure wild feline) as documented by a breeder pedigree from a generally accepted registry, or genetic testing methods that are generally accepted by the scientific community; maintained at all times in an enclosed environment; and documented to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. Methods of rabies control for hybrid felines may differ from domestic cats.ii  Coyotes and wolves, and any hybrid of coyotes and wolves, with the domestic dogiii;  Bears;  Nonhuman primatesiv Sec. 4-182. Keeping of Potentially Wild and Dangerous Animals Prohibited. Updated 3 February 2020 2 No person, firm, corporation, or organization shall keep, shelter, or harbor any Wild and Dangerous Animals within Orange County. Sec. 4-183. Exemptions. The provisions of this Ordinance shall not apply to the keeping of Potentially Wild and Dangerous Animals as follows, provided such keeping is in all respects in compliance with applicable federal and state rules and regulations: (a) Animals used for teaching or research purposes at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or institutions having similar accreditation and mission of higher education and/or research. (b) Wildlife rehabilitators licensed by the state or federal government to provide such services. (c) Non-profit organizations accredited by The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS; https://www.sanctuaryfederation.org). (d) Animals used for a captive-breeding program that is participating in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan (SSP) (https://www.aza.org/species-survival-plan-programs) for that species. Sec. 4-184. Modifications to Prohibited Potentially Wild and Dangerous Animals. The Board of County Commissioners may add or remove species, subspecies or hybrids on the basis of recommendations made by the Animal Services Advisory Board and Animal Services Staff. Recommendations must be based upon available evidence including subject matter expertise that the animal species, subspecies or hybrid:  Is domesticated or not or has undergone domestication to the extent that natural behaviors have changed;  Does or does not require extraordinary measures for safe and effective management, containment, and/or recovery in event of escape;  Does or does not create a reasonable likelihood of physical, zoonotic or epidemiological hazard to people and/or domesticated animals. Residents of Orange County may petition to add or remove species, subspecies or hybrids to or from the above list of Wild and Dangerous Animals. A petition indicating in detail the reasons for removing or adding the species, subspecies or hybrids of concern should be submitted in writing to the Animal Services Director. The Animal Services Director shall relay the petition to the Animal Services Advisory Board to review and determine whether a recommendation of change should be made to the Board of County Commissioners. i This list of species is consistent with those regulated as large constricting snakes by the North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 14, Article 55, with the exception of the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) that was not included in the state statute but is included here owing to its similar nature to the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). ii The ownership of early generation hybrid felines is opposed by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP; https://catvets.com/public/PDFs/PositionStatements/2017- HybridCats-Statement.pdf) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC; Updated 3 February 2020 3 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5309.pdf). Hybrid felines present potential zoonotic and epidemiological threats because: o Available rabies vaccinations are not approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for hybrid felines as they have not been subject to challenge tests for animals of this kind; o In the case of a bite to a person, the required period of observation to determine whether the hybrid feline was shedding rabies in its saliva at the time of bite remains unknown; o In the case of a hybrid feline that may have had contact with a rabies vector animal, the incubation period of rabies in hybrid felines remains unknown and so precludes determining the necessary length of a quarantine period. iii The current practice of hybridizing wild felines to domestic cats to produce new “breeds,” e.g. the Bengal, Savannah, and Cheetoh, has advanced toward domestication further than has the comparable practice of hybridizing wild canids to domestic dogs. iv The restriction includes small-bodied primates such as Dwarfed South American monkeys of the family Callitrichidae (marmosets and tamarins) owing to elevated risk of harm for zoonotic reasons.