Hand over your exotics on Saturday

[wolfy-hound]

We have pet amnesty days here in florida, and have had them for years. They aren't MAKING you hand in animals. It's so you can turn in UNWANTED animals.. and if they ARE illegil, you can't be prosecuted if you're handing them in. So if you were unaware that it was illegil to keep a lion.. and you go hand it in on that day to them, they won't charge you with owning a lion.

If you have a legal exotic, and you can't keep it(or don't want it) anymore, and you haven't found someone to take it, you can take it in to them.

Yes, most will end up euthanized if the zoo(or other organizations) don't take them as exhibits. But it's very preferable to people having animals starve, or be put outside, because they don't feel like caring for them any longer.

[AaronP]

I'm sorry but I don't see what's wrong with this. It's for animals that are already illegal and for unwanted pets. It fate of the animals sucks but it could be worse than the consequences of someone being an irresponsible keeper.

[OFRD_GRL]

I think its a great idea. Its a good way for people who can't keep animals any longer to safely get rid of the animal (without turning them loose or letting the thing starve/etc.) without fear of getting in trouble.

Its not liek they are MAKING you get rid of animals, or knocking on doors seeing if you have illegal animals...

[Spaniard]

Is this for ALL exotics? Or what?

Quoted from article...

Connecticut state law (Section 26-40a of the General Statutes) prohibits possession of potentially dangerous animals. This ban includes animals belonging to the:

* Felidae species, such as lions, leopards, jaguar
* Canidae species, such as wolf and coyote
* Ursidae species, such as black, brown and grizzly bears

[panthercz]

Geesh...read the article people. It is NOT mandatory and the illegal animals are things like pet lions, wolves and bears. They will also accept reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish.
It's a way for people who have illegal animals to get rid of them safely without prosecution from the law. It is also a way for people with pets (excluding domestics like dogs and cats) they can no longer care for, to hand over instead of dumping them in the woods or a lake.
Many other states do already do this and not just for animals.

[SPJ]

Read the rest of the article.
They are working on adding to the list of animals you won't be able to keep.
This is the first step. Get everyone they can to turn in animals and then rewrite the law to ban more types of animals.

[SPJ]

From the link.

Legislation is pending before the General Assembly to expand the list of potentially dangerous animals that are banned in Connecticut.

[Ginevive]

If the idea here, is to give people a safe outlet for ridding themselves of already-illegal animals.. that's fine in my book. It is a shame though, that the animals have to be destroyed. I would think that a qualified rescue group should be able to step in before that would have to happen. Just like those gun-buyback programs where they destroy the guns; many of which can't even be fired, and are rare collector's items..
But yeah. I do see it as preferable, to the animals being released into the wild as invasive or tame/non-feral/doomed critters. Or starved/neglected once their "owners" tire of them.

[AaronP]

Read the rest of the article.
They are working on adding to the list of animals you won't be able to keep.
This is the first step. Get everyone they can to turn in animals and then rewrite the law to ban more types of animals.

Then we'll need to fight them from adding animals that don't belong on the list, but for the time being they aren't doing anything unreasonable.

[wolfy-hound]

You're talking about two seperate things.
Amnesty days are good, in that they give people who need it, an "out" to get rid of animals they are unable to place otherwise.
Legislation banning animals is bad, and we'll fight it as it comes up, or when it's proposed.

One has nothing to do with the other. No one is MAKING anyone take their animals in on a Amnesty day.