Got one of these at your house? Maybe you shouldn't.
By _ANDREW PERGAM_
Updated 5:30 PM EDT, Fri, May 29, 2009
Related Topics:_Mammals_
(http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/topics?topic=Mammals) | _Nature and the Environment
(http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/topics?topic=Nature+and+the+Environment) Wildlife
(http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/topics?topic=Wildlife)
Got a jaguar in your garage (not the car, an actual four-legged jaguar)?
Perhaps a grizzly in the basement? Yeah, you probably shouldn't. And the
state's Exotic Animal Amnesty Day is designed especially for you!
See all the newest arrivals at zoos around the world. Baby lions, tigers
and bears step into the spotlight.
On July 25, you can drop off your mauling machine — sorry, your beloved
behemoth — at the _Beardsley Zoo_ no questions asked.
The state does have a ban on owning certain animals as pets. Even if
someone wants to turn over a dangerous pet that they legally own, the zoo and
the Department of Environmental Protection are ready to receive and take
care of them.
The DEP's Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Conservation said they
don't want the animals just left out in the wild because they can have "an
adverse impact on Connecticut's native plants and animal populations". Not to mention the
human population. In mid-February, a 200-pound celebrity chimp attacked and
nearly killed Charla Nash a Stamford home.
Owning a chimpanzee is not a crime, but the state is considering expanding the list of wild animals that can not be kept as pets.
So what animals are currently on the list? Those in the felidae, canidae and ursidae species. For those without a
high school biology book, that includes lions, leopards, jaguars, wolves, coyotes, black, brown and grizzly bears.
Related Stories
* _Moose on the Loose No More_
(http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Moose-on-the-Loose.html)
If you've got one, you can drop it off at the zoo between 10 a.m. and 3
p.m. on July 25 — but they must be in a secure carrier. And please give us
a heads up, because we'd love to be there to watch.
Sorry, but domestic pets, like cats and dogs, will not be accepted.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Lions-and-Tigers-and-Bears-No-Worries.\
html
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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