Kentucky state law issues

This was printed in the July 17 issue of the Park City Daily News. Funny that this comes right on the heels of the state legislation... I have seen this proposed ordnance and it is not friendly it is almost a right out ban on all exotics.

http://www.bgdailynews.com/cgi-bin/v....html+20030717

Thought this might make us getting legal easier.

<a href="http://home.insightbb.com/~khaman/permit.pdf"> Permit. </a>

Anyone have an opinion on the "import permit" required in Kentucky? I have been told by certain parties that if you bring a reptile into Kentucky from another state you need a permit. If you travel through KY with a reptile from outside KY you need the permit (such as traveling from Alabama to Indiana via I-65).

Others have been very adament that reptiles are excluded from the import permit statute because they are not native wildlife or for other reasons.

Can anyone shed real good light on the situation in KY. If the strict intrepretation were correct, if ya live in The Bluegrass and go to an out-of-state show and buy a snake, you need the permit to re-enter the state with the snake (well, the snake needs the permit). You'd also need the permit if you were a big Florida dealer (just an example) traveling to a show in Illinois via I-65N would need the permit to enter KY and traverse the state of Kentucky.

BTW - these import permits requires a vet certificate for the animals - so it's not just a simple permit.

There is a Campbell County Fiscal Court meeting on November 17 at 5:30 PM at the Campbell County Fiscal Court Office on November 17. For more info call Sandra Mulligan 547-1803. Two Administration staff members to contact are Robert Horine and Josh Wice. Both of their contact info can be found here:

http://www.campbellcountyky.org and go to the Fiscal Court Staff directory.

Exotic animal proposal raises concern
Dangerous pets face regulation By Luke E. Saladin
Post staff reporter

Once the Campbell County Fiscal Court reads its proposed dangerous and exotic animal ordinance into the record tonight, people like Damien Oxier plan to get themselves a copy.

That's because Oxier, who runs a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing displaced reptiles, wants to know just how far the ordinance goes in its efforts to regulate ownership of animals, especially reptiles that make common household pets.

Oxier said he has been in contact with a number of people who have concerns about the ordinance.

"It's a huge concern because, quite frankly, a lot of times lawmakers don't know what they are talking about," said Oxier, the executive director of the Liberty Township-based Arrowhead Reptile Rescue. "We realize a lot of reptiles do not belong in the homes as pets, but a lot of times these ordinances go far beyond any reasonable justification."

Campbell County officials decided to adopt the ordinance not because of any immediate threat from such animals, but because other communities have been enacting similar ordinances and officials didn't want people with such animals to look at Campbell County as a kind of save haven for dangerous pets.

According to a draft of the ordinance obtained by The Post, among the banned animals are lions, poisonous snakes, bears, hyenas, tigers, coyotes, foxes, kangaroos, gorillas, squirrels, coral snakes and cobras.

Josh Wice, a Campbell County administrative assistant who helped draft the ordinance, said the court took great pains to ban only animals that posed a serious threat to people's safety.

Non-lethal reptiles commonly owned as pets, including green iguanas, are specifically exempted, Wice said.

"We made specific reference to various animals that should not be affected by the ordinance," Wice said. "If it is on the list of banned animals you can be sure it poses a threat in some way."

Other communities, including Boone and Kenton counties, Newport, Covington and Bellevue, also have similar ordinances.

Oxier said that unlike other communities, he was encouraged that Campbell County consulted with animal experts at Northern Kentucky University while officials drafted the ordinance.

He still plans on looking over the ordinance once it becomes available for public comment after Wednesday night's first reading. The court is expected to have a final vote on the ordinance in December.

"If I see any problems with it, I would definitely speak up at their next meeting," Oxier said.

Campbell County's ordinance would make the crime of owning a banned animal punishable for up to 90 days in jail and/or a $250 fine.

See the bill here: http://www.campbellcountyky.org/Dang...%20Reading.pdf

Hey, I live in Kentucky, but I am not sure where Campbell county is... I live in Caldwell County, and it bothers me that if they can pass something like that here in the state, they might pass that here too. I currently have two Colombian BCI's, and with a law passed like that, I would be required to get rid of them. Please let me know.
Thanks,
Melanie Brown

The ordinance passed with no opposition or discussion on the fiscal court's December 1st meeting. This is what happens when these ordinances go unchallenged. They pass like a hot potato.

Northern KY-near Cincinnati, OH

I see no one has answer this thread for a little over a year. I have a related question that can go unanswer for the next year :-)

I live in Ohio and periodically receive shipments of snakes at Greater Cincinnati Airport in Northern Kentucky. The snakes are always non-hot, non-native, non-USFWS permit species and if boids under 6 feet species. Does anyone know if I need a Kentucky Import Permit to legally pickup my animals at the airport and transport them home to Ohio?

Thanks
Don Flickner
Cincinnati, Ohio