WV Exotic Animal Ban List

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED TO HELP WEST VIRGINIA HERPERS/EXOTIC OWNERS

Immediate action is necessary to demand a PUBLIC HEARING on WV’s Proposed Rule 61-30 (Dangerous Wild Animals). Please email the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee (LRMRC) Members and the other Senators and Delegates listed below to demand a PUBLIC HEARING. Here are a few points:

1. WV Government corruption and/or incompetence have resulted in hundreds of pages of public comments being missing from the official record. Obviously these comments were never given the “meaningful consideration” required by WV’s Administrative Procedures Act. Missing comments include comments from USARK, PIJAC, WVUSARC and numerous WV pet owners. Here’s what we are dealing with: When questioned about the missing comments, Chris Ferro, WV Department of Agriculture’s Chief of Staff, responded that it would NOT have made any difference if the comments had been reviewed. Ferro also questioned whether the comments were actually missing from the official record. Ferro said that the LRMRC should review the missing comments. Do any of these responses make any sense or is this a cover-up?

2. WV’s Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) Board has failed to provide the public with any of the required justifications for any of the animals it has included in its list of DWAs.

3. WV’s DWA Board failed to provide the financial information required when proposing a new rule.

4. The LRMRC is scheduled to approve Proposed Rule 61-30 on October 21, 2014.

Please send emails requesting a PUBLIC HEARING on Proposed Rule 61-30. If you put the email addresses in the bcc option, the recipients cannot see that it was sent to numerous representatives at the same time.

Email addresses for LRMRC
barbaraf@wvhouse.gov;cindy.frich@wvh...ya@wvhouse.gov

Other Senators
clark.barnes@wvsenate.gov;bob.beach@...t@wvsenate.gov

Other Delegates
george.ambler@wvhouse.gov;bill.ander...@ wvhouse.gov

Thank you for your help!!!!

GOOD NEWS!!!

Yesterday I attended the Legislative Rules committee meeting. The committee members gutted the DWA list.

I don't have a complete copy in front of me, but basically the only animals left on it are the truly large/dangerous ones, e.g. lions, tigers, bears, cape buffalo, wolves, etc.

Front-fanged venomous snakes (vipers, cobras, etc), alligators, and crocodiles remain on it. Rear-fanged like the hognose and mangrove are not on it. All constrictor snakes were removed.

Also, several legislators indicated they want to just repeal the whole danged law, while others said that they would prefer to amend it to get rid of the DWA Board and have animals listed by statute, rather than being forced to do an annual review via legislative rules. There will also be a push to remove the insurance and "no breeding" requirements also.

So, a major battle has been won but the war will continue into the next legislative session that starts in January.

Good news.
Stay viigilant.

Great news. The law sounded nuts. Any snake over 6' but you can own a horse? Made zero sense! I am glad to hear that common sense may prevail.

Wonder what will happen with Gila monsters? I always thought it was kind of silly to ban them from so many places.

Ironically, Gilas were ignored in the Ohio DWA law too. (Not complaining, of course). Perhaps an oversight by HSUS, which basically wrote the law?