Humane Society urges Indiana to stop issuing wild animal permits

The Humane Society of the United States is urging Indiana to stop issuing permits that allow people to keep wild animals as pets, saying they pose a threat of injury and disease to their owners.

Diane Webber, director of the Humane Society's Central States Region, issued the plea after an Indianapolis man was charged this week with keeping 15 venomous snakes. The snakes were discovered after the man sought medical treatment for a snake bite.

Michael Fillenwarth was charged with possession of a dangerous reptile without a permit.

The incident followed one in September, when a 14-foot python killed its owner in Lanesville in southern Indiana.

Many states, including Kentucky, ban exotic animals as pets. The Humane Society says 23 states ban large cats, 10 ban keeping reptiles and 10 ban nonhuman primates.

Indiana residents, however, can get a permit from the state Department of Natural Resources to keep dangerous animals such as snakes, lions, tigers, wolves, bears and alligators.

Webber said it's "ludicrous" to keep wild animals as pets.

"They're exotic animals, they belong in the wild, not in our backyards and our basements," she said. "They pose a safety threat to the public as well as their owners," along with the threat of disease, she said.

Linnea Petercheff, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources specialist in charge of permits, said the state has issued 71 active permits for dangerous wild animals. The list includes 16 permits for bears, 21 for large cats, 12 for venomous snakes, eight for alligators and 14 for wolves.

DNR spokeswoman Angela Goldman said Indiana is not considering a ban.

New Albany resident Jeffrey Huncilman agrees with the Humane Society's position.

He has a state permit to keep a 1-year-old serval - a long-legged spotted wildcat - at his home. "Radar" stands about 22 inches tall, said Huncilman, who describes that cat as "kind of a poor man's cheetah."

He said a ban that would include animals such as "Radar" would be too broad, but added, "If it has to be one way or the other, I'd say deny them all."


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Of course, the incident that set them off involved a person that was keeping WITHOUT a permit. Just what would discontinuing the permits have solved in that situation?

For the record The Humane Society of the United States, has nothing to do with local humane societies. It's another big political organization.

Good point.

A politcal organization who long ago their abandoned animal welfare stance in favor of the animal rights slant and are quick to jump on any opportunity to lobby for more restrictive legislation against the keeping of any and all exotics.
Donation money hard at work, and an excellent example of why no reptile keeper should provide them with one cent of monetary support.

(I started to say, then deleted, that, while I routinely donate to the local humane society, the HSUS mailings go directly into the shredder. The reason is exactly as you posted, Clay)

As a general rule, local humane societies, the ones not affiliated with the ASPCA, deserve our support. (The HSUS supports zero animal shelters).
In fact I've found that they appreciate knowing a knowledgable herper in their area to help with any reptile surrenders, since they are usually not capable of properly housing and caring for them. They normally have the best interest of the animals at heart, regardless of what type of animal it is.
The HSUS, ASPCA, and other similar organizations however, are strictly opposed to exotic animal ownership, including all reptiles, and any herper who gives them a dime is only cutting his own throat.