Please come with us to the meeting. The FWC usually only hears from the breeders, dealers and animal abusers. They need to hear from people who care about animals so they can make rules to protect wild animals rather than to continue to exploit exotic animals.
The FWC often changes their agenda, so you should keep checking at: http://www.myfwc.com/COMMISSION/2009/Comm_09_AgendaJun.htm to see if the issues we care most about have been rescheduled. I usually go and sit there for two days straight so that they do not get away with hearing an issue with no animal lover present.
If you come, please wear business attire and a paper nametag that says: PROTECT Wild Animals SERVE Floridians. I will provide tags in this folder for you. Their motto is to protect and serve, so this lets them know that we expect them to do just that. This way they will know we all speak as One, but doesn’t make it just look like we dragged our staff and volunteers out as members of the community will be given these same suggested instructions.
Commission Meeting Agenda June 17-18 (18th is just about fishing @ agenda)
Plantation Inn 9301 West Fort Island Trail Crystal River, FL 34429 Phone: 352-795-4211 http://www.plantationinn.com
This meeting is open to the public and starts at 8:30 am, but they have five rather large issues to address before Captive Wildlife Rules, so they probably won’t be hearing anyone on it until after lunch, but there is no way to know for sure.
Captive Wildlife Rules
1. 68A-6.0011, Possession of Wildlife in Captivity; Permit Requirements – The proposed rule would require USDA registered research facilities currently exempt from caging requirements to maintain a detailed research proposal and meet the strength requirements for cages or enclosures. The proposed rule would clarify that enclosure requirements would not apply to Bison kept for the production of meat, skins or hides, or progeny.
2. 68A-6.002, Categories of Captive Wildlife – The proposed rule would address current Class I and II wildlife listings to reclassify certain wildlife species from Class II to Class I including the cougar, cheetah, hyena, aardwolf, gaur, American alligator, patas monkey, giraffe, okapi, tapir and certain wild species of the family Bovidae. The proposed rule would require wild/domestic hybrids that are substantially indistinguishable from the wild animal to be regulated as wildlife at the class of the wild parentage; and prohibit personal pet possession of wild fox, skunks, bats, raccoons or white-tailed deer.
3. 68A-6.0021, Possession or Transfer of Class I Wildlife as Personal Use Wildlife; Transfer of Wildlife and Record Keeping Requirements – The proposed rule would provide a "grandfather" clause for any Class II wildlife possessed for personal use that is reclassified as Class I, and require all Class I wildlife possessed for personal use to be permanently identified. The record keeping requirements and time frame for which these records must be maintained are moved from this proposed rule into 68A-6.0023, thereby consolidating captive wildlife related record keeping requirements in one rule. The title of the proposed rule is amended to reflect this change.
4. 68A-6.0022, Possession of Class I, II, or III Wildlife in Captivity: Permit Requirements – The proposed rule would require a permit to possess brushtailed possums; clarify experience requirements for Class I and II wildlife possession; clarify documentation of experience requirements for corporations; require a USDA license when Class I wildlife is possessed for exhibition or sale; and clarify who needs to submit the Critical Incident/Disaster Plan and when such plan applies.
5. 68A-6.0023, General Regulations Governing Possession of Captive Wildlife; Record Keeping Requirements – The proposed rule would require outdoor enclosures of non-native venomous reptiles and reptiles of concern to be covered; require the use of barriers when exhibiting Class I and II wildlife to the public; and require written approval prior to the use of certain Class I wildlife for incidental contact with the public. The proposed rule incorporates record keeping requirements from Rule 68A-6.0021, thereby consolidating record keeping requirements for captive wildlife; would require records on all changes in wildlife inventory; and increases the length of time to 3 years that records of sale/transfer must be maintained. The title of this rule would be changed to include "public contact", "transfer of wildlife and record keeping requirements."
6. 68A-6.0024, Commercialization of Wildlife; Public Contact; Bonding or Financial Responsibility Guarantee – The proposed rule would establish criteria for "consistent and sustained commercial activity" and delete "Public Contact" in the rule title.
7. 68A-6.0025, Sanctuaries; Retired Performing Wildlife and Identification – The proposed rule would establish requirements to operate a wildlife sanctuary; and allows persons possessing performing wildlife that can no longer perform due to age or physical condition to continue possession for lifetime care under the exhibition/sale license. The proposed rule would require permanent identification for captive wildlife possessed in a captive wildlife sanctuary and retired performing wildlife.
8. 68A-6.003, Facility and Structural Caging Requirement for Class I, II and III Wildlife – The proposed rule would require footers or internal devices to reduce digging or burrowing in certain enclosures; require measures to be taken to address erosion; add the hyena, aardwolf, guar, cougar and cheetah to the list of Class I wildlife that may not be possessed on property zoned solely for residential use. The proposed rule also includes an exemption from the land area requirement for Class II Saki monkeys.
9. 68A-6.004, Standard Caging Requirements for Captive Wildlife – The proposed rule would require variances for some open air habitats and require temperature regulation in Red Panda enclosures.
10. 68A-6.0041, Exceptions to Standard Caging Requirements for Captive Wildlife – The proposed rule would exempt Bison (when possessed for propagation purposes only) from standard caging requirements, except fencing
11. 68A-6.005, Transportation Requirements for Wildlife; Caging Requirements for Performing and Non-Performing Animals – The proposed rule would clarify the requirements for wildlife transportation. The proposed rule would require wildlife to be transported in a cage or enclosure; require the cage or enclosure to be labeled "Live Animal" and list the number of specimens and the common and scientific name of the wildlife; and address labeling requirements for wildlife being transported in trailers.
12. 68A-6.007, Possession, Transportation, Exhibition and Caging of Venomous Reptiles and Reptiles of Concern – The proposed rule would include the "taxonomic successors" of the reptiles of concern and address the experience requirements to possess them. The proposed rule clarifies the documentation of experience requirements for corporations.
13. 68A-6.0071, Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements – The proposed rule provides for the modification of the Captive Wildlife Inventory-Reptile form. The proposed modification is technical in nature and corrects spelling errors on the form.
14. 68A-9.006, Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit – The proposed rule would correct the permit application title; clarify that a rehabilitation permit is not necessary for rehabilitating non-native species; establish a timeline for rehabilitation of native wildlife and how wildlife is evaluated as un-releasable. The proposed rule would prohibit the comingling of sick and injured exotic or non-native wildlife in the same cage or enclosure with sick injured or otherwise impaired native wildlife; prohibit the release of fully recovered specimens of American alligators or American crocodiles; and authorize the use of exotic or non-native wildlife or domestic animals for fostering orphaned native wildlife.
3. Game Farm Rule
1. 68A-12.011, Regulations Governing the Establishment and Operation of Game Farms – The proposed rule would replace the substantive portions of existing statute, Section 379.302, Florida Statutes which is expected to be repealed by the Legislature after this replacement rule is adopted. The proposed rule clarifies the requirements for lawful operation of game farms in Florida. It also clarifies the housing, transportation, selling/transferring of game and record keeping requirements, and provides exemptions to the licensing provision
8:30 am, Thursday, June 18, Reconvene to talk about fish.
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For the cats,
Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457
Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:
http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU
Free ways to join us and help the big cats:
Twitter: Follow Me and be invited to enter our Animal Lover's Dream Vacation Giveaway! http://twitter.com/BigCatRescue
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