Movie stars want federal restrictions on private ownership of exotic animals
By Norma Bennett Woolf
Hollywood celebrities Tippi Hedren, daughter Melanie Griffith, and Kermit the
Frog appeared in Washington DC to promote the Shambala Wild Animal Protection
Act of 2000, an attempt to tightly restrict private ownership of exotic animals
and to limit hunting on game ranches.
The bill was prepared by Shambala for introduction by Representative Tom Lantos,
a California Democrat who often supports animal rights causes. It was introduced
in late July as H R 5057 and has been sent to the House Subcommittee on Fisheries,
Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans for consideration. Committee members are
representatives Jim Saxton, New Jersey, Chairman; W. J. (Billy) Tauzin, Louisiana;
James V. Hansen, Utah; Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland; Richard W. Pombo, California;
Walter B. Jones, North Carolina; Mark E. Souder, Indiana; Robin Hayes, North
Carolina; Michael K. Simpson, Idaho; Bruce F. Vento, Minnesota; Peter A. DeFazio,
Oregon; Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii; Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas; Frank Pallone Jr.,
New Jersey; and Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island.
The bill's co-sponsors are representatives Christopher Shays, Connecticut;
Lynn Rivers, Michigan; Constance Morella, Maryland; Richard Neal of Massachusetts;
John Edward Porter, Illinois; James P. Moran, Virginia; John Kasich, Ohio; Dennis
Kucinich, Ohio; Elton Gallegly, California; Sam Farr, California; Bob Filner,
California; Frank Pallone Jr., New Jersey; Nita Lowey, New York; and Fortney
Pete Stark, California.
Why Shambala?
Shambala is a wildlife preserve owned by former actress Tippi Hedren. Star
of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film The Birds, Hedren collected dozens of lions
for use in a film titled Roar and founded the sanctuary to house the lions and
their offspring after the filming was done. Griffith was mauled by one of the
lions when she was 19 years old.
Griffith wrote on her website: "As some of you may already know, my mother,
Tippi Hedren, has an organization called The Roar Foundation/Shambala Preserve.
The Roar Foundation is deeply concerned with a serious problem in the United
States: the private ownership of wild exotic animals. We all know that lions,
tigers, and leopards are cute and cuddly at birth, but they grow up to become
unmanageable wild animals. As a result of making wild animals their private
pets, owners frequently find themselves in life-threatening situations."
The Shambala bill
- covers private ownership of wild, exotic, non-native species, subspecies,
and hybrids of cats, bears, foxes, wolves, and primates;
- requires non-transferable permits issued by the Secretary of Agriculture
to own or breed the animals;
- exempts zoos, research facilities, government agencies, animal parks, and
wildlife sanctuaries from its provisions;
- sets standards for wild animal housing and care;
- restricts import and export of covered animals.
Private ownership
The Long Island Ocelot Club-Endangered Species Conservation Federation promotes
responsible private ownership of wild felines as a right and as an adjunct to
species conservation by zoos and wildlife preserves.
"The LIOC believes individuals can, through captive breeding programs and record
keeping contribute greatly to man's knowledge of these creatures and their preservation,"
the group's website reports. "The LIOC maintains the individual's right to own
and propagate these animals in accordance with sound management practices."
Furthermore, LIOC-ESCF considers private ownership of exotic cats to be a privilege
as well as a right, a privilege extended to those who provide safe housing and
appropriate veterinary care to the animals, protect the public from the potential
danger inherent in keeping wild animals in captivity, and comply with all local,
state, and federal regulations.
The Phoenix Exotic Wildlife Association also champions the private ownership
of exotic animals as long as health, safety, and legal obligations are met.
The Ohio Association of Animal Owners is adamant that the federal government
should not regulate private ownership of animals, according to association secretary
Polly Ward.
Responding to the USDA brochure 1560, a position statement against private
ownership of large exotic cats, Ward said: "Our position is that the Animal
Welfare Act authorizes a federal agency (USDA) to regulate animals in interstate
commerce, period. Nothing more."
"Congress' intent in passing the AWA never had anything to do with non-commercial
(pet) activity in animals. Therefore, this position statement is totally inappropriate
for the USDA to have made. They have overstepped their bounds by taking a position
on something that, constitutionally, is the responsibility of the individual
states, not the federal government. Individual states are the ones with any
authority over non-commercial activities."
USDA released brochure 1560 in February. According to the brochure, USDA "believes
that only qualified, trained professionals should keep these animals, even if
they are only to be pets" because they are dangerous. Without differentiating
between responsible and irresponsible ownership of these animals or acknowledging
that professional associations provide information about housing and care, the
pamphlet claims that privately-held animals cause injuries and deaths, and when
owners can no longer keep them, are killed for their pelts and meat.
Proponents of responsible private ownership disagree that privately held animals
are to blame for most injuries; instead, they claim that the majority of incidents
involve exhibitors who are already required to have a license.
What you can do
For more information about the Shambala Bill and responsible private ownership
of exotic animals, visit the Phoenix website (http://www.phoenixexotics.org).
For information about exotic feline ownership, visit the LIOC website (http://www.lioc.org).
For a copy of the Shambala Bill, visit Thomas, the legislative website, at
http://thomas.loc.gov and search for HR
5057.
To comment on the bill, send a letter to representative Jim Saxton, Chairman,
House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans, 339 Cannon
House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, and send a copy to your own representative,
especially if he is a cosponsor or a committee member . You can also contact
representatives by e-mail at http://www.house.gov/writerep
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