If you have an exotic pet such as a bat-eared fox, grey-bellied night monkey or side-stripped jackal, you may want to take note: The permit phase for the province’s new regulations governing exotic animals is now underway.

The Controlled Alien Species Regulation, enacted in March, requires the owners of more than 1,200 species of mammals, reptiles and birds not native to B.C. to obtain a permit by April 1, 2010.

Owners of exotic animals on the government’s controlled-alien-species list must also be able to prove they were in possession of the animal prior to March 16, 2009.

It’s unclear how many of these animals are currently in B.C. When Alberta introduced similar legislation, roughly 1,200 permits were issued.

The province’s chief animal cruelty organization applauds the new regulations.

“Before these regulations came into effect, anyone could purchase a tiger, a venomous snake or a crocodile and keep it at their home,” said Sara Dubois, the wildlife services manager for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“The permit process will help determine where and how many of these animals there are, and provide some assurance that public-safety and animal-welfare needs are being met,” she said in a release.

The new regulations, which fall under the Ministry of Environment’s Wildlife Act, prohibit the public from breeding, releasing and acquiring new animals on the controlled-species list.

Accredited zoos, research and educational institutions can continue to acquire, breed and possess the listed species, but are required to have permits for each animal in their possession.

Travelling circuses, pet stores and the film industry also will have to obtain permits for all listed animals.

Violating the regulations could result in a fine of up to $250,000 and/or up to two years in jail. Animals will be seized and removed from the province or transferred to an accredited zoo at the owner’s expense.

The government’s full list of controlled alien species and the requirements and restrictions are detailed at: www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlifeactreview/cas/

www.timescolonist.com/news/Permits+needed+exotic+pets/2226620/story.html

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