Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Albuquerque is proposing a new city animal ordinance. You can read it here, all 60 some-odd pages of it:

http://daystar2.cabq.gov:81/attachments/3174.doc

This ordinance looks invasive all around, not just for reptiles. If you keep any animal in your household, and you don't want your city or county to adopt a similar ordinance, please write to the Albuqureque city council and let them know your thoughts on this ordinance.

The proposed ordinance calls anything not a dog, cat, or rabbit an "exotic" and requires a $35 ANNUAL permit for anything not a dog, cat, or rabbit. That means $35 for my iguana, $35 for my bearded dragon, $35 for each of my three household pet turtles. There are also some pretty silly requirements, such as submitting a letter to the mayor every time one wants to transport an "exotic". So the mayor needs to know when my iguana goes for her annual check-up?

The AR is looking at this ordinance as a template for more cities. If it gets passed here, it will get passed elsewhere.

The next hearing is Monday night, but this proposal might get another hearing after this.

I spoke with Martin Heinrich's aide today, and Mr. Heinrich is interested in hearing from the public.
Sally Mayer is the sponsor. You can contact them and other council members at:

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1293 , 9 th Floor - Room 9087, Albuquerque, NM 87103 .

Telephone Number: (505) 768-3100, Fax Number: (505) 768-3227

Email Addresses:

Miguel A. Gómez, Council District 1 - mgomez @ cabq.gov
Debbie O'Malley, Council District 2 - domalley @ cabq.gov
Eric Griego, Council District 3 - egriego @ cabq.gov
Brad Winter, Council District 4 - bwinter @ cabq.gov
Michael J. Cadigan, Council District 5 - mcadigan @ cabq.gov
Martin Heinrich, Council District 6 - mheinrich @ cabq.gov
Sally Mayer, Council District 7 - smayer @ cabq.gov
Craig Loy, Council District 8 - cloy @ cabq.gov
Tina L. Cummins, Council District 9 - tcummins @ cabq.gov

Katrina

I looked a little closer at the definitions, and it looks like a pastel slider is a domestic animal, but a common slider is a wild animal. (And I'm guessing that they ment PHYSIOLOGY?)

I'm guessing that the LTC box turtle or tortoise that someone has had for 20 years will be considered wild, though.

Katrina

COMPANION ANIMAL. A dog or cat that is not a Hybrid.

EXOTIC OR WILD ANIMALS. Any Animal which is not a Domestic Animal, Companion Animal or Companion Bird.

DOMESTIC ANIMAL. Any Animal whose psychology has been determined or manipulated through selective breeding and which does not occur naturally in the wild and includes but is not limited to ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, horses, mice, rabbits, donkeys, rats and kangaroo rats. All Companion Animals are Domestic Animals but all Domestic Animals are not Companion Animals.

COMPANION BIRD. A bird commonly kept as a pet by humans and confined on the property of the Owner including but not limited to parakeets, canaries, lovebirds, finches, parrots, and macaws. cockatoos, cockatiels, toucans and lories, but excluding:

(1) all of the family Anatidae (waterfowl;

(2) all of the family Tetraonidae (grouse and ptarmigans);

(3) all of the family Phasianidae (quail, partridges and pheasants);

(4) all of the family Meleagridae (wild turkeys) except for the domestic strains of turkeys;

(5) all of the family Perdicidae (francolins);
(6) all of the family Gruidae (cranes);
(7) all of the family Rallidae (rails, coots and gallinules);
(8) all of the family Charadriidae (plovers, turnstones and surfbirds);
(9) all of the family Scolopacidae (shorebirds, snipe, sandpipers and curlews);
(10) all of the family Recurvirostridae (avocets and stilts);
(11) all of the family Phalaropodidae (phalaropes); and
(12) all of the family Columbidae (wild pigeons and doves) except for the domestic strains of pigeons.