The WI Zoo Assoc. is a private organization and all the member zoos are privately owned and not part of any government unit. I beleive they are also not AZA affiliated.

Beloit and Janesville are the two largest cities in Rock County WI and both cities have schizophrenic animal laws and policys, in my experience. I sell a lot of my reptiles to pet stores all over the state and Rock Co. stores can display and sell any types of animals they want including big pythons, nile monitors, etc, however they are illegal for residents of Janesville (see discussion thread below about the escaped black-throated monitor that terrorized the city several weeks ago) and City (not town of) of Beloit residents to own. These laws probhibit all constricting snakes including corn snakes and such and any large reptile. The rationale is that these pet stores state that their customers are from all over the region, not just the cities they happen to be located in, and prohibiting them makes them noncompetitive and is an interference with commerce. These pet stores never ask purchasers if they are residents of the cities or refuse to sell prohibited animals to purchasers or warn them that they may be illegal. When an unsuspecting resident is discovered to be in possession of prohibited animals, enforcement is severe-AC accompanied by armed and threatening police trespass on the owners private property, usually without a warrant and impound the illegal animals and fine the owner around $400 for each count.

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