HomeMy WebLinkAboutA011 - Memo to Council from Ames Humane League with comments and opinion, September 21, 1984 MEMORANDUM
To: Mayor Goodland and W-mbers of the City Council
From: Cynthia Shriver, Chair
Ames Humane League
Date: September 21, 1984
Subject: Dangerous Animal Ordinance
In response to your directive, the Ames Humane League has reviewed the Dangerous
Animal Ordinance presented at the August 21st City Council meeting. Two public
meetings were held at which time excellent input was received from concerned community
members.
It is the opinion of League members that a Dangerous Animal Ordinance is warranted
at this time. The threat to human safety is real. Without appropriate measures being
taken, the League feels the problem will become an ever increasing one. Enactment
of an ordinance for human safety reasons also accommodates the concept of responsible
ownership and humane care of these animals.
The approach the League would like used is to prohibit the keeping of dangerous animals
and to then set up licensing requirements and standards of care which would allow the
serious individual to keep such animals safely for the purposes of research and education.
The proposed Polk County Ordinance (applicable sections attached) is a very workable
one and has gained wide acceptance from professional groups and animal welfare
societies alike. Standards of care, however, are not included in this ordinance. The
League, therefore, has appointed a committee to establish standards of care by
December 1, 1984. See the attached minutes for committee make-up.
It is, therefore, the recommendation of the League that a new ordinance, patterned
after the Polk County ordinance, be drated and that standards of care be included in it.
In response to Georgene Shank's question regarding the identification of people having
dangerous animals, League members believe that the basis of identification would be
self-registration and complaints.
Section 2 : DANITIONS •
"Animal" means every wild, feral, tame or domestic member
of the Kingdom Animalia (animal Kingdom) other than the genus or
species Homo sapiens (Human Beings).
"Animal Control Officer" means the officers and employee3
the Physical Planning Department whose job it is to enforce this
ordinance .
"At-Large" refers to an animal 's presence outside of a
structure of fixed enclosure.
"Board of Suservisors, refers to the Polk County Board of
Supervisors.
"Dangerous Animal" means (a) any genus/species of animal
which is capable of killing, inflicting serious injury upon, or
causing illness or disease among, human beings or domestic animals
and having a known tendency (either, in its natural state, in the
wild, or as a tame, feral or domesticated animal) as a species to
do so, and is declared to be a dangerous animal by the Board of
Supervisors pursuant to the above-established criteria , by
amendment to this ordinance; (b) those animals deemed to be
"dangerous animals" per se, which includes, but is not limited to
the following:
( 1 ) Foxes, wolves and coyotes of the family Canidae, within
the order of Carnivora, but excluding domestic dogs.
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H. PERMITS. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be construed as
prohibiting any person from petitioning the Director, or
his designee, for a permit to own, keep, shelter or
harbor a "dangerous animal", as herein defined , for
purposes of research , education or reproduction
("reproduction" refers to the threatened or endangered
species). The granting or denial of said permi:3sion is
discretionary with the Director, or his designee. Rules
and regulations governing the application for, isouance
of, and renewal and suspension of permits ohall be
proposed by the Director, or, his designee, and submitted
for approval as provided for in Section 10 hereof. Said
rules and regulations shall provide procedures for the
appeal of the denial of an application foi, a permit.
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(2) Lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, cougars, lynx, ocelots
and bobcats of the family Felidae, within the order
Carnivora, but excluding domestic cats.
( 3) Badgers, wolverines, weasels, skunks and mink of the
family Mustelidae, within the order Carnivora .
( 4) Raccoons of the family Procyonidae, within the order
Carnivora.
(5) Bears of the family Ursidae, within the order Carnivora .
( 6) Crocodiles and alligators (Crocodilea) .
(7) Bats ( Chiroptera)
( 8) Venomous snakes, Squamata of the suborder Ophidia ;
constricting snakes, Squamata of the suborder Ophidia,
which exceed six (6) feet in length.
( 9) Monkeys, chimpanzees, marmosets and baboons, Primates
of the famililes Cebidae , Cercopithecidae ,
Callithricidae and Pongidae.
( 10) Gila monsters of the family Helodermatidae.
( 11 ) "Black widow" and "brown recluse" spiders of the
families Theridiidae and Loxoscelidae, respectively, and
scorpions of the order Seorpiones.
( 12) Red and black "fire ants" and other stinging{ ants ,
native to Central or South America, of the family
Formicidae in the order Hynenoptera .