Bill Description:
This bill prohibits the private possession of dangerous wild animals. Dangerous wild animals are defined as lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, bears, baboons, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, or any hybrid thereof. It also requires any person or organization who is allowed to possess such animals to register them with the Department of State Health Services and comply with rules and regulations governing the care and treatment of these animals.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
• A county, municipality, state, or federal agency;
• A research facility;
• A person holding the proper license issued by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act;
• A wildlife sanctuary;
• A veterinary hospital;
• A wildlife rehabilitator;
• A college or university that began displaying a dangerous wild animal as a mascot before September 1, 2017, and does not allow direct contact between the mascot and the public
• An animal shelter;
• An owner lawfully in possession of a dangerous wild animal before September 1, 2017 if they meet certain requirements.
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 Texas. For example, in Odessa in 2011, a 4 year-old boy was mauled by his aunt’s “pet” mountain lion. 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:
Texas citizens, contact your state legislators and urge them to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here (H.B. 2274) and here (S.B. 1879).