NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4378A
SPONSOR: Glick (MS) TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in
relation to prohibiting the taking of zoo, petting zoo, carnival or
circus animals
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to prohibiting
the taking killing of zoo, petting zoo, carnival or circus animals.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This bill will amend the environmental conservation law by adding a new
section, which will prohibit the taking of zoo, petting zoo, carnival or
circus animals. It also stipulates that no zoo, petting zoo, carnival or
circus can sell, or offer for sale, distribute, barter or donate any
animal where the animal may be intentionally taken. Additionally, no
person that operates or manages a facility including, but not limited to
a facility that harbors non-native big game mammals, or any other facil-
ity that permits the taking of animals shall purchase, accept or receive
any animal such person knows or has reason to know is presently or was
formerly a part of a zoo, petting zoo, carnival, or circus.
Violations of this law will be punishable by a fine of not less than
five hundred dollars and not more than two thousand dollars.
Nothing in this section shall preempt a municipal corporation from
enacting more restrictive laws, ordinances or regulation governing
animals in zoos, petting zoos, carnivals, or circuses.
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill seeks to protect animals that have spent a better part of
their life in captivity from an inhumane and unnecessarily painful
death. Animals coming from zoos, petting zoos, circuses and carnivals
have been trained and domesticated making them unfairly easy targets for
hunters. Killing the animal once it has served its purpose should not be
the answer to ridding the facility of excess animals. Additionally,
nothing in this bill should be construed to affect protections afforded
to animals in other sections of law.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Referred to Environmental Conservation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
To take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become law.
