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Covington Ban - For Your Amusement
A lesson: Be careful what you plagiarize! (special thanks to Cliff & Andy!)
The "fight" is not yet over, but I though y'all would enjoy this little bit of information:
The Covington Ban was copied from "Michigan Law." We're not sure if it's actually enforced anywhere but even if it were, it says something
completely different. Namely, the Michigan Bar defines Domesticated Companion Animal which really changes the way it reads...
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Covington says:
"No person shall own wild animal(s) and/or exotic animal(s) within the jurisdictional boundaries of the City. This prohibition does not apply to
zoological parks, properly licensed transient animal exhibits, circuses, licensed veterinarians or licensed caregivers to wild animals, or persons
owning birds of prey in compliance with all state and federal regulations."
A Wild Animal was defined in the ordinance as being "[a]ny animal that is not a domesticated companion animal, or any crossbreeds of these
animals with domestic animals, or any descendant of any crossbreed. Such animals include, but are not limited to, any venomous snake, python or
constrictor snakes, porcupines, monkeys, raccoons, skunks, leopards, lions, tigers, lynx, bobcats, badgers, fox, coyote, wolves, wolverines,
squirrels, bears, deer, chipmunks, moose, elk, rabbits, opossum, beavers, ground hogs, moles, gophers, prairie dogs, rats, mice, rodents, and
bats."
An Exotic Animal was defined in the ordinance as being "[a]ny of the following described animals: all animals, including snakes and spiders, whose
bite or venom is poisonous or deadly to humans; apes, including chimpanzees, gibbons, gorillas, and orangutans; baboons; bears; cheetahs;
crocodilians and alligators; constrictor snakes; coyotes; elephants; gamecocks and other fighting birds; hyenas; jaguars; leopards; lions; lynxes;
ostriches; pumas, also known as mountain lions and panthers; wolves; raccoons; skunks; and tigers."
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Michigan Bar says:
Section 9.100. No person, partnership or corporation shall possess or harbor any Wild Animal(s) and/or Exotic Animal(s). This prohibition does
not apply to zoological parks, properly licensed transient animal exhibitions, circuses, or licensed veterinarians or DNR-licensed caregivers to
wild animals.
(j)"Domesticated Companion Animal" means an animal that has traditionally, through a long association with humans, lived in a state of dependence
upon humans or has been traditionally kept as a household pet, including but not limited to: dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, ferrets, mice, rabbits,
parakeets, parrots, cockatiels, cockatoos, canaries, love birds, finches and tropical fish.
(k) "Exotic Animal" means any of the following described animals:
(1) All animals, including snakes and spiders, whose bite or venom is poisonous or deadly to humans.
(2) Apes: Chimpanzees (Pan); gibbons (Hylobates); gorillas (Gorilla); orangutans (Pongo); and siamangs (Symphalangus).
(3) Baboons (Papoi, Mandrillus).
(4) Bears (Ursidae).
(5) Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).
(6) Crocodilians (Crocodilius), and alligators.
(7) Constrictor snakes, or other poisonous reptiles.
(8) Coyotes (Canis latrans).
(9) Elephants (Elephas and Loxondonta).
(10) Gamecocks and other fighting birds.
(11) Hyenas (Hyaenidae).
(12) Jaguars (Panthera onca).
(13) Leopards (Panthera pardus).
(14) Lions (Panthera leo).
(15) Lynsex (Lynx).
(16) Ostriches (Sruthio).
(17) Pumas (Felis concolor); also known as mountain lions, and panthers.
(18) Wolves (Canis lupus).
(19) Wolf hybrids.
(20) Raccoons (Procyon lotor).
(21) Skunks (Genus Mephitis).
(22) Tigers (Felis tigris).
(bb) "Wild Animal" means any Animal which is not a Domesticated Companion Animal, or any crossbreeds of these animals with domestic animals,
or any descendant of any crossbreed. Such animals include, but are not limited to: any venomous snake, python or constrictor snakes, owls,
porcupines, monkeys, raccoons, skunks, leopards, lions, tigers, lynx, bobcats, badgers, fox, coyote, wolves, wolf-hybrids, wolverines, squirrels,
bears, deer, chipmunks, moose, elk, rabbits, opossum, beavers, ground hogs, moles, gophers, mice/rodents, bats, birds, and any related fur or
feathered non-Domesticated Companion Animals.
So, per Michigan Bar, if your pet has a known history of domestication, it is already permitted before having to even read the Wild animal
"such as" list. Per Covington, there is no Domesticated Animal definition other than the definition provided within the Wild Animal definition
which includes the "such as" list.
Gambians and prairie dogs do not have much of a case for "known domestication." Rats, mice, Chinchillas, rabbits, and guinea pigs do.
But note that Covington also threw in "prairie dogs, rats" between "gophers, mice/rodents" in their definition of wild. A domesticated pet Norway
rat would be covered, and a Gambian not covered by the Michigan Bar example but without the Domesticated Companion Animal definition, Covington is
banning all rats.
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