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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA007 - Ames Humane League Minutes of August 29, 1984 MINUTES AMES HUMANE LEAGUE August 29, 1984 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Those in attendance from the Humane League were Cynthia Shriver, Dorothy Christian, Ruth Koschorreck, Nancy Beavers, Kathy Plummer, Joan Hopper; staff: John Klaus, Paul Wenbert, Marland Dass. Cynthia Shriver, Chairperson of the Ames Humane League, stated that the purpose of this meeting is to discuss a proposed Dangerous Animal Ordinance. City Attorney John Klaus who drafted the proposed ordinance indicated that he reviewed the ordinances in West Des Moines, Council Bluffs, and Des Moines in preparing this ordinance. Mr. Klaus stated that there are basically two ap- proaches which can be taken regarding a dangerous animal ordinance: (1) prohibi- tion of keeping certain animals in the community or (2) establishing a regula- tory process for dangerous animals without specifically prohibiting any animals. The latter is the approach utilized in the proposed ordinance. Kathy Plummer questioned the proposed definition of dangerous animals in Section 3.12(1) . She stated that this definition may be too vague and that it would be preferable to establish a list of which animals wuuld be defined as dangerous. Dorothy Christian stated that she felt it may be difficult for persons to pur- chase liability insurance as stipulated in Section 3.12(3) (d) . Bob Elgin, former curator of the Des Moines Zoo, stated that to his knowledge Lloyd's of London is the only available insurer of liability for dangerous animals. How- ever, Marland Dass, City of Ames Animal Control Officer, indicated that he has contacted Severson Insurance Company representatives who stated that they write insurance policies for dangerous animals. In response to a question from the public, Marland Dass stated that he is not aware of any lions which are being kept in Ames at the present time. However, he stated that lion, ferret, and raccoon bites have occurred in Ames in the past. Jeff Ehrens, Manager of the Fish Bowl at North Grand Mall, stated that even cats need to be worked with in order to make them domesticated and that snakes and other animals can be trained to be dcmesticated. Mr. Ehrens felt that a $5.00 permit for dangerous animals, with the stipulation that dangerous animals be kept caged, would be appropriate. An owner of two Burmese pythons stated that cats can be more dangerous than snakes. He further stated that if pet owners were responsible, any problems regarding dangerous animals would be solved. He also indicated that he is not opposed to a license but is opposed to prohibition. Mr. Ehrens stated that many animals have a tendency to become attached to their owner. If these animals were confiscated, he stated that they would likely starve to death due to separation from the owner. Cynthia Shriver stated that she has recently obtained a model wild animal protec- tion law from the Humane Society of the United States. This model law was shared with the City Attorney and members of the Humane League. Mr. Elgin presented a letter from Nancy Blaney of the Humane Society of the United States. Mrs. Blaney indicates in the letter that there are legitimate uses for wild animals. Teresa Clark stated that she believes that the public will report animals that are dangerous and uncared for and that, as such, an ordinance is not required. Cynthia Shriver reiterated the Humane League's concern and interest in curbing irresponsible animal owners. The next meeting of the Humane League was scheduled for September 12 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m. /lw Paul Hollander, Past President of the Iowa Herpetological Society, stated that he believes that the definition of dangerous animals in the proposed ordinance is too ambiguous. He also believes that it is not appropriate to include danger to property as a criteria for definition of a dangerous animal. He believes that danger to human beings should be the prime concern in defining dangerous animals. Mr. Hollander also stated that the limit of two animals per location (Section 3.12(6) ) will impaire the ability to conduct private research in the home. Mr. Hollander further stated that there are certain aspects of the ordi- nance which may be difficult to enforce. He stated that dangerous animals would have to be identified and perhaps confiscated. The City would then need the facilities and expertise to keep dangerous animals after they were confiscated. Mike Petersen, PhD. Zoology--Ames High School science teacher, proposed that an Advisory Board consisting of bird, mammal, reptile, etc. experts be established to determine a list of dangerous animals. Mr. Petersen was also concerned that this ordinance could prohibit students from taking animals from high school labs home over the summer. Mr. Petersen further stated that those pet owners who are irresponsible should be subject to regulation and education. Sidse Linder, an owner of pet snakes, stated that dogs have bitten her children but her pet snakes have never created any problems. She also stated that she could not afford a $500 annual insurance premium. She also stated that the ordi- nance should distinguish between animals such as lions or tigers and snakes. Jamie Barr, Masters in Wildlife Biology, believes that the State legislature will probably establish a law dealing with dangerous animals in the next legisla- tive session. Mr. Barr stated that he believes that it will be preferable to wait until the State legislature passes a law before trying to establish a local ordinance. Dr. George Beran, Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, stated that the Iowa Veterinary Association will be meeting soon to discuss problems relat- ing to dangerous animals and recommendations to the State legislature. Dr. Beran further stated that the use of the word "domesticated" in Section 3.12(1) may create some problems because sore animals within a given species are domesti- cated and others are not. Delmer Cassidy, Chief of Pathology, National Veterinary Lab, stated that he believes the ordinance should concentrate on dangerous and not domesticated animals. Mr. Klaus stated that perhaps the Humane League should consider eliminating "property" from the definition in 3.12(1) and concentrate only on danger to human health and life. Dorothy Christian stated that one of the main emphases of the Human League has been the promotion of responsible pet ownership. She doesn't believe that the number of animals at any one location should be limited because this would inter- fere with responsible pet owners' rights. She indicated that public education is the key to solving problems relating to dangerous animals. Mr. Elgin stated that he believes the City of Ames should wait until the State, Polk County, or the City of Des Moines establish a model ordinance. He believes that the proposed ordinance is too vague, unrealistic, and unenforceable.