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WINFIELD COURIER (Kansas) 01 December 05 Moratorium would last at least 6 months in hopes state will develop regs (Dakotah M. Davis)
A six-month ban preventing the further importation of dangerous animals into Cowley County could go into effect as soon as Tuesday and serve as a way to monitor exotics until state laws are finalized in 2006, a county official said today.
“Kansas Wildlife and Parks is trying to get regulations passed in January that would be effective in February,” said county clerk Karen Brooks. “If the state does come up with something, then this way we’re not duplicating efforts.”
Brooks said the motion creating the moratorium was approved by commissioners during Tuesday’s regular meeting and is being written by county counselor Bill Taylor. Local rules will be based on a portion of regulations enforced by Sedgwick County. Those regulations define what constitutes an “inherently dangerous mammal or reptile” and cover animals including wolves and wolf hybrids, non-domesticated felines weighing more than 15 pounds, bears, venomous snakes, crocodiles, alligators and caimans.
During the six months, commissioners plan to give owners, who already have exotic animals, the opportunity to register their pets using a self-reporting short form that has yet to be created, the county clerk said. Brooks’ office will serve as the registration center.
Owners who fail to report exotic pets could face penalties.
“If we don’t have it on record ... it would be considered something new you brought in,” said Brooks.
Enforcement of the moratorium falls on the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department, the county clerk said. Sheriff Bob Odell had not yet been apprised of the new rule as of early today, but he said whatever laws the county passes, his office will take seriously. Reports of residences harboring dangerous animals will be looked into, he said.
“It’s the same as a meth lab report,” Odell said. “It would be investigated.”
The sheriff’s office could face some new challenges once they are charged with enforcing exotic animal laws.
“It’s going to take some special equipment,” said the sheriff. “We don’t have dart guns. We don't have cages.”
The county’s ruling only covers rural portions of the county that are not already a part of a city, according to Brooks.
“Nothing that we do effects anybody living within a city’s limits,” she said.
Commissioners began mulling animal regulations a few months ago after the death of 17-year-old Altamont resident Haley Hilderbrand. Hilderbrand died at a wildlife sanctuary in Mound Valley where she was posing for senior pictures with a Siberian tiger. She was the granddaughter of Udall’s former mayor Bill Hilderbrand and his wife, current Udall City Councilwoman Mary Hilderbrand. Since their granddaughter’s death, the Hilderbrands have been pushing for tougher regulation of exotic animal owners at the city, county and state levels.
Although a number of Cowley County residents reportedly own dangerous animals such as tigers or bears, Burden resident Vernon Roberts is most likely to be affected by the new regulations. In September, Roberts began moving his menagerie of lions, tigers, bears, panthers, wolves and reptiles to his Burden property where he hopes to establish a zoo. Roberts has said he sought Cowley County as a refuge in light of the stricter regulations now enforced in his former Florida abode. Cowley County currently has no exotic animal regulations.
Roberts said he is ready to pursue a lawsuit against the county should they enact a total ban on possessing exotic animals.
“(Cowley County) let me locate here already through their non-ordinances,” he said.
Taylor said today the county might consider a longer moratorium.
“(The commission) talked about six to nine months,” he said. “They’ll have to decide the length.”
Moratorium would last at least 6 months in hopes state will develop regs

This was mostly conceived from the " OTHER " exotic animals and not so much reptiles that was thrown in as a blanket jeopardy I was told. So watch these other exotic animal folks very carefully and organize to keep reptiles out of proposals. Something that we didn't do in Kansas.
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......