Lions and tigers and bears: Four things you need to know about owning an exotic animal in Wisconsin - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Lions and tigers and bears: Four things you need to know about owning an exotic animal in Wisconsin - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:00 AM PDT CLOSE Buy Photo Katelyn Bowman sprays a grizzly bear named Rocky on Friday at Valley of the Kings in Sharon. Most of the wild animals at the nonprofit sanctuary come from government seizures during drug raids, zoo surplus and individuals calling and asking to take large cats off their hands.  (Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) When a federal jury ruled recently in favor of Milwaukee police officers who, in 2010, had broken into a south side building filled with reptiles, it settled a lawsuit by Terry Cullen alleging nearly $4.5 million in damages. But it didn't settle separate questions that readers may have had about what is involved in keeping wild, or so-called exotic, animals. Wisconsin is one of four states with essentially no laws about keeping dangerous wild animals as pets. Various efforts have been made in the state Legislature to ban certain exotic animals, but all have failed to pass.  Over the years, the occasional public sighting of what people think is a lion (that would be Milwaukee in 2015) or the escape of a kangaroo (Franklin last June) captures the public attention. And the 2010 raid involving more than 200 animals in Cullen's building gained international attention. All the charges against the reptile conservationist were ultimately dismissed. So, what should one consider if looking to obtain and own an exotic animal in Wisconsin? Here are four things to keep in mind: You may need a license. The state Department of Natural Resources offers several kinds of licenses. Amanda Kamps, DNR wildlife health conservation specialist, said which license is dependent on what animal you want, and what you will use it for. The DNR offers several different licenses: the captive wild animal farm license, the nonprofit educational exhibit license and the nonresident temporary exhibiting license. If you're looking to own an exotic animal as a pet, for example, you would need to get the captive wild animal farm license.  The DNR requires a license for anything designated as a "harmful wild animal." This includes all bears, cougars, mute swans and wolf-dog hybrids. Licenses are also required for any endangered or threatened species.  Buy Photo A wolf named Misty barks Friday at Valley of the Kings in Sharon. Most of the wild animals at the nonprofit sanctuary come from government seizures during drug raids, zoo surplus and individuals calling and asking to take large cats off their hands.  (Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Another important agency to keep in mind if you are importing exotic species from outside Wisconsin is the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. It generally requires a permit and a certificate of veterinary inspection for any animal coming from outside Wisconsin. At the federal level, some animals may require a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those looking to breed animals for sale, use them in research, transport them commercially or publicly exhibit them require licensure. Jill Carnegie, founder and president of Valley of the Kings Sanctuary, has been rescuing lions, bears, tigers and other exotic animals seized by the USDA and DNR at her Sharon sanctuary for years. She said finding out if a breeder is USDA licensed is an important step if you're thinking about getting an exotic animal. "If (you're) going to buy from a breeder, make sure they're legitimate," Carnegie said. Buy Photo A tiger named Tia sits in a separate enclosure while worker Connie Hacker cleans part of the shelter Friday at Valley of the Kings in Sharon. Most of the wild animals at the nonprofit sanctuary come from government seizures during drug raids, zoo surplus and individuals calling and asking to take large cats off their hands.  (Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Local ordinances are key. Because the state of Wisconsin doesn't have a statewide law on exotic animals, each city, town or municipality can regulate which exotic animals are prohibited. Janesville, for example, prohibits owning all types of wild, exotic or vicious animals, which include venomous snakes, lions, monkeys and alligators, among other things. James Vickery understands how important it is to pay attention to local ordinances. It's part of the reason the reptile breeder moved from Oshkosh to Waupaca, where restrictions on exotic reptiles aren't as strict. Vickery mainly deals with snakes, breeding everything from ball pythons to boa constrictors. Inside Waupaca city limits, residents can legally have a snake that is under 10 feet long, but because Vickery lives outside the city, there are no regulations, he said. Back in Oshkosh, he wouldn't have been allowed any snake over 3 feet. "Make sure that where you're living, it's permitted," Vickery said. Pete Dunn, captive wildlife administrative warden for the DNR, said the local approach to regulation seems to be working.  "Trying to create a ... one size fits all ... sometimes sounds good but can be very challenging because it's hard to know the idiosyncrasies of each community," he said. Do thorough research on the exotic animal and its needs. Dunn, Carnegie, Kamps and Vickery all said that doing research on the specific type of exotic animal before obtaining it is crucial.  "More people are killed by lack of knowledge and not meeting an animal's needs in the exotic world than anything else," Carnegie said. Vickery said he gets a phone call at least four to five times a year to take in a snake because somebody couldn't deal with it.  "People think, 'Oh, that's really cute. That's really pretty. I want to have that.' And they don't realize how big it's going to get," he said of exotic snakes.  Kamps said there are a lot of questions to consider if people want to obtain an exotic animal. How much space does the animal need? What kind of diet or medical care does it require? What social needs does it have? "Exotic animals … are very different to provide care for versus our typical pets that we have. They have very specific needs," she said. If you're unsure about the regulations, just ask. "The best advice I could give someone is that if they are looking ... I'd suggest that they reach out to DNR just to check if the DNR license is needed," Kamps said.  The same can be said for those in charge of regulation at the local level or at the USDA or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bottom line: Contact an expert first. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/09/four-things-you-need-know-owning-exotic-animals-wisconsin/7567242002/

Endangered bamboo sharks given helping hand in Gulf of Thailand - Reuters Posted: 07 Jun 2021 01:34 AM PDT In the Gulf of Thailand, fisheries researchers use a guideline to scuba dive to the ocean floor where they release baskets full of young bamboo sharks. The small, slow moving, bottom dwelling sharks with striped bodies and an extra long tail have become endangered in recent years because of their popularity with fish collectors and exotic food diners. Researchers have released scores of juvenile bamboo sharks in the Gulf over the past several months, hoping to remove the species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Near Threatened" red list. "We dive down to the sea base to release the fishes in safe area so they have a better chance to survive, rather than releasing them on the water surface like most other animals," fisheries official Udom Krueniam told Reuters from a dive boat earlier this month. "If we release them on the water surface, there's more chance they'll be eaten by bigger fish or swim out from shelter." Researchers last week released 40 of the brownbanded bamboo sharks, aged between 2 and 3 months, in an purpose-built artificial coral reef at a depth of 18 metres (60 feet). The species is native to the Gulf of Thailand, and is also found across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Northern Australia. A conservationist from the marine fisheries research centre in Thailand's east coast holds brownbanded bamboo sharks before they are released into the sea, in an effort to increase the population of the sharks, which numbers have been decreasing in recent years as they are often netted as bycatch or end up in the tanks of exotic fish collectors, in Rayong, Thailand, in this still image obtained from video on June 1, 2021. REUTERS/Kriengkrai Attanartwong The sharks are one of the smallest marine predators, growing to a maximum length of around 1.2 metres (4 feet), and are not threatening to humans. They feed mainly at night, using their small teeth to grasp or crush prey. Researchers hope the released sharks will settle in to their new home, where they will initially be sheltered by the man-made reef and hopefully reproduce. Back at a research facility on land, Panida BuaLangka carefully uses scissors to cut off the end of an egg sheath to help release the baby shark inside. Researchers help hatch the eggs in an aquarium, rather than in the open sea where they are vulnerable to other predators. Udom said a successful egg hatching project last year was providing researchers with more baby sharks to release this year. The project has so far helped hatch, nurse and deliver more than 200 bamboo sharks to the Gulf of Thailand. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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