LA-State could create trade-in program for illegal animals

[ER12]

BATON ROUGE — Do you have a pet monkey, large exotic cat or unlicensed python?


State law generally prohibits you from having these animals.

As a result, when owners of such animals no longer want them, they end up in the wild.

“And they threaten native species in many different ways,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Mayne, a Wildlife and Fisheries spokesman. “It has become a major challenge for us.”

Just last month, department officials seized pythons from an Oakdale couple who was breeding the snakes and selling them via the Internet. In Louisiana, you must have permits for pythons that are longer than 12 feet.

Mayne said it’s just the latest example of what the department deals with on a regular basis.

“We’ve come in contact with monkeys, big cats, snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, and pythons in excess of 17 to 18 feet that people no longer want or don’t have the proper permits,” he said.

In an effort to curb such activities, the department is urging the Legislature to pass a law that would allow people in possession of illegal animals to turn them over to the state without facing penalties.

“If people are in possession of these animals, they can contact us and receive amnesty under the legislation,” Mayne said.

House Bill 1255 by Rep. Austin J. Badon, D-New Orleans, authorizes the surrender of “any live animal possessed illegally or which may be possessed only by permit or license from the department.”

It further “indemnifies the person from prosecution,” provided the surrender is initiated prior to any independent investigation or contact by any public employee operating in an official capacity.

As for what happens to all the illegal animals turned over to the state, the legislation permits the department to “dispose of a surrendered animal in any manner deemed appropriate.”

It’s one of the many animal-related bills lawmakers will debate during the ongoing regular session.

There’s also Senate Bill 146 by Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, which would allow the state’s agriculture commissioner to set new rules for the “raising, slaughtering, and sale” of imported exotic deer, antelope and elk.

Senate Bill 368 by Sen. Buddy Shaw, R-Shreveport, would force wholesale and retail reptile and amphibian dealers to provide buyers of iguanas with written instructions detailing the care, food and habitat it requires, a warning that iguanas can carry salmonella and cautioning that it will grow substantially.

Other related bills up for consideration include:

n House Bill 313 by Gary Smith, D-Norco, allows local governments to establish license fees for dog breeders.

n House Bill 408 by Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, permits euthanization of dogs seized in connection with dogfighting.

n House Bill 428 by Leger would allow a bond of $100 per day per animal seized in connection with a cruelty charge.

n House Bill 576 by Rep. Fred Mills, D-Parks, authorizes local governing authorities to regulate dogs and roaming livestock.

n House Bill 829 by Rep. Tony Ligi, R-Metairie, creates the crime of aggravated cruelty to animals

n Senate Bill 73 by Sen. David Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, prohibits euthanasia by intracardiac injection on cats and dogs unless the animal is “unconscious or rendered completely unconscious and insensitive to pain through the injection of an anesthetic.”

To view these bills and others, visit www.legis.state.la.us.

Capitol Correspondent Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20...19920&tc=yahoo

[oswhiteboy]

These law makers have too much time on their hands. They should only come together to make decisions once a year. We would be so much better off.

[dsirkle]

I don't think that it is a bad idea to let people surrender animals without penalty rather than turn them loose because they don't them legally and either can't afford to keep them or cant sell them when for some reason they are not able to care for them anymore.

[Christine]

I dont think all these bills are bad. I am for bill 73.
Euthanasia by intracardiac injection is a horrible way to go if its done wrong.
The should be unconcious.

[joepythons]

I agree with the part of giving people the correct info on iguanas BEFORE they are sold.

[jfreels]

I dont think all these bills are bad. I am for bill 73.
Euthanasia by intracardiac injection is a horrible way to go if its done wrong.
The should be unconcious.

Agreed, having been a witness. I was always told that it's a short process and the animal "simply falls asleep". You'll never forget a botched injection, even if it wasn't your beloved pet.

[j_h_smith]

Do you guys realize how many bills are signed into laws every year? Here in Maryland 170 bills were signed into law yesterday. 170, you've got to be kidding me.

If you take an average of 150 laws a year, times the average life span of 75 years, a person will have seen about 11,250 new laws. Do we really need all of these laws? I'm sure there are laws in affect that already cover many of these concerns. It just doesn't make sense to keep adding laws to the book without revisiting some of the existing laws.

Just my opinion.
Jim Smith

[Big Gunns]

Do you guys realize how many bills are signed into laws every year? Here in Maryland 170 bills were signed into law yesterday. 170, you've got to be kidding me.

If you take an average of 150 laws a year, times the average life span of 75 years, a person will have seen about 11,250 new laws. Do we really need all of these laws? I'm sure there are laws in affect that already cover many of these concerns. It just doesn't make sense to keep adding laws to the book without revisiting some of the existing laws.

Just my opinion.
Jim Smith

There were 40,000 new laws put on the books in the US for 2010. Americans won't be able to walk down the street without breaking a law in the future at this rate.

BG totally agrees with you Smitty and has said the same thing for a while now.

[redstormlax12]

I do feel this can be good, for both our community, the environment, and the snakes. Less snakes will be let loose by irresponsible owners, and snakes wont be killed or die from a incorrect environment if some cold chill comes or something.

House Bill 428 by Leger would allow a bond of $100 per day per animal seized in connection with a cruelty charge.

I think this would be a great bill. Punishments for animal cruelty, in my opinion, are no where close to what they should be. Usually its just a slap on the wrist for even severe cases. The people that have been mistreating the animals should have to pay for the care and treatment of THEIR pets. THEY took on the responsibility, so if they are going to torture the animal, then the law will have to come into play and force them to pay for their animals.

House Bill 829 by Rep. Tony Ligi, R-Metairie, creates the crime of aggravated cruelty to animals

Another bill i would have to agree with. The more crimes that can be charged against the people that refuse to take care of their animals, the better.

Senate Bill 73 by Sen. David Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, prohibits euthanasia by intracardiac injection on cats and dogs unless the animal is “unconscious or rendered completely unconscious and insensitive to pain through the injection of an anesthetic.”

And i would of course agree with this one. Euthanasia is defined as the act of killing someone painlessly. So any method that causes an animal pain, really isn't euthanasia. The animals deserve an easy way out if they have suffered, its the least someone can do for an extremely severe abuse case.

[wolfy-hound]

"n House Bill 428 by Leger would allow a bond of $100 per day per animal seized in connection with a cruelty charge."

I disagree with this. It doesn't say you have to be convicted.. it just wants you to pay if they seize the animals. SO .... if the local police seize all your snakes thinking that they are highly venomous cobras and you should have a 1 acre paddock for each cornsnake.. or maybe your neighbor didn't like your dogs because they know you also have snakes....

They seize your animals... they keep the animals during the whole investigation and then decide "Hey.. you aren't doing anything wrong!". Now you will owe the fees of $100 per day per animal for the entire time they held them.. even though you did nothing wrong.

Same for a cat or dog or python or horse. I have a friend who had officials seize her three rescued horses that she had had only three weeks, because they were skinny! Of course they were skinny.. that's why she took them in. Despite the original pictures shown, the vet report she produced showing when she got them and how much they had already improved.. the official folks kept the horses for nearly a month before the slow wheels of justice alowed them to drop all investigation and return them. Imagine what her bill would be if she had to pay $100 per day per horse.

Rewording that bill so that only convicted animal abusers have to pay... things like that. I do think a amnesty is a good thing for turning in exotics.