Exotic Pet Ban Passed!

Great news! The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has drafted a proposal, 301 KAR 2:082, which will prohibit future possession of inherently dangerous exotic animals, e.g., tigers, lions, nonhuman primates, dangerous reptiles, bears, etc. To review the proposal, visit http://lrc.ky.gov/kar/301/002/082reg.htm.

Potentially dangerous wild animals should not be kept as “pets.” These animals pose public health and safety risks to their “owners” and to the community at large, they do not adjust well to a captive environment, and they suffer immensely in captivity. Cougars, tigers, lions, bears, wolves, primates, and reptiles are just a few of the animals who are now popular in the pet trade and with animal collectors. Most exotic animals kept as “pets” are confined to backyards, basements, or garages. They lead barren, boring lives—devoid of anything that they would experience naturally in the wild—with no means to meet their instinctual needs and desires, such as seeking a mate, hunting, basking in the sun, resolving territorial disputes, or even the basic pleasure of freedom of movement.