Exotic animals such as the wart hog, aardwolf and quokka, as well as common New England natives like raccoon and skunk, reptilian specimens like Bolivian anaconda, the Northern African python and Komodo dragon, along with dozens of other wild animals would be banned as pets under newly revised regulations proposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The proposed new regulations, developed by the DEP at the direction of the state legislature, will be the subject of a public hearing at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at the agency's headquarters offices at 79 Elm St. in Hartford. They would govern the importation, possession and releasing of wild animals in much more detail than the regulations they would replace. Included is a long list of animals that would be illegal to own.

"These are much more specific and clear-cut," Dennis Schain, DEP spokesman, said Tuesday.

Exceptions would be granted to municipal parks, zoos, aquariums, circuses, nature centers, museums, exhibitors, laboratories and research facilities to import and possess many species without a permit. Animals listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern could also be kept at these facilities, but a permit would be required.

The animals that would be banned are those that, if kept as household pets, could pose a threat to public health and safety, crops and native plants and animals, Schain said. The animals could also carry diseases. The regulations would also ban the export of many native wild animals, including beaver, harbor seal and black duck.

"These proposed regulations are the result of a robust process that included three informal public forums, discussions with interested stakeholders and consultation with other state agencies - such as the departments of Public Health and Agriculture - whose responsibilities touch on this issue," DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella said in a news release.

The regulations would also establish requirements for notifying authorities if a wild animal escapes and wild animal disease prevention and reporting, and set criteria for the types of facilities that would be allowed to keep wild animals otherwise banned.

Schain said the need to tighten state laws on wild animal possession came to light after the highly publicized attack by a pet chimpanzee on a Stamford woman in 2009. Later that year, possession of chimpanzees and other primates was banned, joining the short list of those already illegal - wild dogs, bears and wild felines. The move to revise the regulations was also prompted by the increasing popularity of keeping wild animals as pets, some of which are dangerous or end up improperly released, such as an alligator found in the Connecticut River a couple of years ago, Schain said.

In addition to receiving comments at the hearing, the DEP will receive written remarks on the proposed regulations until March 1. Comments should be mailed to the DEP at: 79 Elm St., Hartford, CT 06106, to the attention of George Babey, public hearing officer. They can also be sent via e-mail to: George.babey@ct.gov.

Once comments are considered, the DEP will write final regulations that would go to the General Assembly's Regulations Review Committee for a formal vote before taking effect. He expects the committee will receive the final version sometime this year.

The proposed regulations can be found at: http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2586&;Q=471192. Copies can also be requested from the DEP Bureau of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, 79 Elm St., Hartford CT, 06106, or by calling (860) 424-3011.

www.theday.com/article/20110209/NWS01/302099920/-1/nws

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