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U.S. GOVERNMENT 1: Iowa Senate Praised For Wild Animal Vote

The Humane Society of the United States today praised the Iowa Senate for its overwhelming 45 to 3 vote to prohibit private ownership of wild animals as pets. The legislation now moves to the House Natural Resources Committee for consideration, and The HSUS is urging swift passage.

"The Humane Society of the United States salutes lawmakers for moving decisively to protect Iowa citizens and promote animal welfare," said Diane Webber, director of the Central States Regional Office for The HSUS. "These animals can inflict serious injury and spread life-threatening disease, and they cannot be cared for properly by the average pet owner. Wild animals belong in the wild, not in basements and backyard cages."

Senate File 2366 will prohibit private possession of wild animals as pets, including big cats such as lions and tigers; nonhuman primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees; wolves; reptiles such as alligators and venomous snakes; and other dangerous exotic pets. People who currently have these animals will have to register and microchip them, keep them secured and notify authorities of escapes, and carry insurance.

Since 2001, more than a dozen people have been killed in the United States by captive wild animals, and many more have been injured. Incidents this week demonstrate the risks captive wild animals pose to public health and safety and animal welfare. Sunday morning, a man climbed a protective fence and reached into a tiger's cage at a Florida county fair; the tiger bit him, severing tendons in the man's forearm. A Florida woman was fined for keeping primates in improper caging. She reportedly housed 21 marmosets in a 10-by-20 foot shed that was extremely hot with no ventilation. In addition, North Carolina health officials are seeking to identify parents whose children may have been exposed to a potentially fatal disease in a day care facility located in a home that also housed numerous exotic animals.

Iowa's action follows a unanimous vote last week by the Kansas Senate to prohibit tigers and other wild animals as pets in the state. The Kansas action was inspired by the death last August of 17-year-old Haley Hildebrand who was posing for high school photographs with a tiger at a local exotic animal facility. "Haley's death should be a wake up call," said Ronda Good, the teen's mother in testimony before a Senate Committee. "No one should have to go through what our family has gone through. Laws and regulations should have been in place and strictly enforced to prevent an accident like this from happening." The Kansas legislation, which The HSUS supports, is now being considered by the House Committee on Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

Many states ban ownership of big cats and other wild animals as pets. In addition, Congress unanimously passed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act in December 2003 to prohibit interstate commerce in big cats as pets. Regulations implementing the law were recently proposed for public comment, which is a critical step in enforcing the law. A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to pass a similar measure for nonhuman primates as pets. The Captive Primate Safety Act was introduced in the Senate as S.1509 by Senators James Jeffords (I-VT) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and in the House of Representatives as H.R.1329 by Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rob Simmons (R-CT).

Article courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States

Visit their website at www.hsus.org


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