Now the state law says we can not own any native species as pets, but we can own fur-bearing animals freely with no permit if owned agriculturally. But we honestly need separation when it’s involved in a domestic line of animals and a wild line of animals i.e Skunk, Raccon, mink, bobcat/Lynx and Red Fox/Arctic Fox.

Now to my understand these animals who have been domestically bred (Originally for fur) still pose a threat to the general public because they are said to be rabies vector species. According to CDC there is little to no reports of these animals who have bitten a human. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/surveillance/human_rabies.html

The Rabies Virus is transmitted by SALIVA. It PASSES from one animal to another when the first animal bites the second animal. Once the Rabies Virus is in the blood, it attacks cells. Now ALL captive bred animals have low to no chances of receiving the virus just as much as our traditional pets such as cats or dogs. ANY mammal, any animal with hair or fur, can contract rabies. This includes humans. In Europe they’ve been working the elimination of fox rabies with much success. 
http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/368/1623/20120142

There even has been success with an oral vaccine in the U.S according to AVMA journals. https://www.avma.org/News/Journals/Collections/Documents/javma_227_5_785.pdf

Misconceptions are often made up that these animals are born with rabies. Which have been passed on as ‘facts’ by state fish & game depts or health depts, with NO scientific proof. Such misinformation often leads to slaughter of these animals in the wild. 

Now the reason why I think the law really needs to be looked at is due to the animals being by technical terms, domestic. Which is the process of hereditary reorganization of wild animals and plants into a domestic and cultivated forms, again fur, urine etc. These animals now have undergone a biological and genetic change. Animals containing over a 3,000 genetic change to their wild partners. Not only that, the morphology of the animal had change such as changing in both hard and soft tissues. This includes skull shape differences, brain size reduction, postcraninail adaptations and digestive tract changes. Also, size comparison to domestic animals and wild animals is different. Coat quality, color, skeleton portion etc.

Even though our American bred domestic foxes have about a 40 gene difference, a popular study was made to see how easy it was to domestic foxes who sully purpose was for fur. Foxes have been DOMESTIC since the 1800's. This is far much longer then a Hamster, Guinea pig, Birds, or any animal you find in a pet store. http://www.scielo.cl/pdf/gayana/v73s1/art06.pdf

With domestic exotics, we now have beautiful colors in the coats: 

Red fox- Calico whitemark, Pearl Calico whitemark, Champagne whitemark, Fire and Ice whitemark, whitemark, Red whitemark, Amber whitemark, Burgundy whitemark, White marble, Arctic marble, Champange marble, Amber marble, Sun glow marble, Burgundy marble, Platinum, Golden platinum, Glacier, Snow glow, Dawn glow, Sapphie, Pearl, Lavender, Amber, Champagne, Burgundy, Fire and Ice, Dakota gold, Silver, Cross, Pale amber, Golden sunrise, moon glow etc. There’s over 100 colors of domestic red fox.

Arctic fox- Blue, Nordic blue, medium pale and dark blue, tundra, shadow, pale arctic pearl, dark arctic pearl, swedish sapphire, oppdal sapphire, Finnish app hire, arctic blue, lapponia, pale lapponia, white shadow, pale blue shadow, dark blue shadow, jotun, medium blue star, dark blue star, sognlibles, pale sognlibles, piebald, blue fox platinum, somatic mutations etc.

Skunk- Lavender, Champange, Apricot, Silver, Peach, Ginger, Almond, Brown and white chip, Black and white swirl, black and white classic , black and white silverback, black, albino, smoke, brown, Black and white chip, marbled, beige, blonde, mahogany, brown silverback, black, red, cinnamon etc.

Raccoon- Albino, Cinnamon, Blonde, Chocolate, Platinum, White, Black and Standard. 

Mink - Sapphire, Pearl, Pastel Sapphire, Silverblue, Leopard, Black, Mahogany, Blue Iris, Pink, Lavender, Demi Buff, Silverblue cross, Palomino cross, Pastel cross, Platinblond, Reoglow, Stardust, Blue Iris cross, Violet cross, Sapphire cross, Dawn, White, Violet, Palomino, White, Jaguar, Blackglama, Brown, Glow, Pearl beige, Golden pearl, Scanglow, Scanblack, Scanbrown. 

Well also have recognized associations set up for domestic skunk and domestic foxes. ADSA (American Domestic Skunk Association) also has Supreme Nation show for domestic skunks. TAFA (The American Fox Association). http://www.tafafox.org/home.html

Being native wildlife does NOT mean the animals can breed with our native wildlife even if got the chance. When colors change, so does their genetic makeup. Kit survival becomes slim and will result to neonatal death!

As, I’m all for responsible animal ownership, but at the same time it’s nearly impossible when we’re not given our rights to own something that has been bred in captivity longer then a hamster, guinea pig, bird, fish etc. Possibly we could follow Michigan laws for domestic animals, such as a permit needed for native colors or colors that make it hard to distinguish from wild colors.

Non-human primates I agree there should be given restricted territory with respect. I don’t think anyone but licensed facility should own old world primate simply for many reasons. New world primates are more predictable, smaller and easier to accommodate. New world primates consist of Tamarins, Marmosets, Squirrel monkeys, Capuchins etc. I think owners should undergo specific written hours to obtain such an animal.

There’s over 15,000 pet monkeys in the U.S, yet only 140 reported primates bites in TEN YEARS. This translates to a less than .01% chance one will be bitten by a monkey, and much less a pet monkey. Most of these bites did not occur in the private sector, but in federally licensed facilities and zoos, and include bites from apes, such as chimpanzees. Many states don’t even have a any monkey bites on record.

Statistically speaking, people have a higher chance of being attacked and bit by a pet dog. Dog bites are in the millions per year. http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics.php

According to Centers for Disease Control in the U.S they have confirmed that there is NO record of disease transmission from primates in the pet sector to humans in over 15 years. The last record of infection occurred at a federally licensed research facility where the two handlers were infected while handling a macaque (Old world primate) being used in research. Research facility handlers have a high chance of catching a disease from a primate verses one owned privately.

AVMA accredited DVMs can confirm that properly vaccinated pet monkeys do NOT carry diseases transmissible to humans. The likelihood of a pet primate transmitting a disease to a human is about as likely as a dog transmitting a disease to a human, if not less. Primates in the pet sector get regular veterinary care to prevent diseases, much in the same way dogs and cats do. With regular screening, even a pet macaque, which is said to sometimes carry herpes B, can be perfectly virus free. People should be more worried about the diseases that they can give monkeys, rather than what a monkey can give them. Such as human that is infected the herpes simplex virus which is deadly to marmosets and tamarins. The virus is transmittable via saliva, sharing food or drinks with animals. If caught early the primate has a likelihood of 30%-50% chances of survival. Since monkeys can not be imported into the U.S, this means there is an even lesser risk of contracting a disease from a pet monkey.

All vets screen and test infant monkeys before them entering their new home. New world primates are also tropical mammals. They can not physically survive NYS’s harsh winter on their own. They will die. They must be kept in a heated area that’s maintaining 70-80 degrees.

http://www.simiansociety.org

Exotic cats- Again given restricted territory with respect. Small felines such as ASL, Ocelots, Bobcats, Servals and Caracals all hunt smaller prey such as rodents and rabbits. There is no record of human attacks on these felines. They are also non-native species (besides bobcat) and wouldn’t be able survive if released. Our climate is too harsh for them. Also, animals born in captivity loose their wild roots and can NOT properly survive without human care. They will perish out in the wild.

The general public is often fed lies to whereas the private sector can not supply a proper diet and enrichment to animals. But many of private homes can get their hands on supplies that zoos can get their hands on. 
http://www.mazuri.com
http://www.zupreem.com/products?type=zoo
http://www.exoticnutrition.com
http://www.petskunkfood.com
http://www.ottoenvironmental.com

I think we just need strict laws such as written hours or special permit given to own these kinds of animals instead of banning private ownership of these animals. Please take a moment and realize just banning them with no correct back-up is nonsense. Majority of these animals would NOT survive the climates we have and they have been genetically engineered to be domestic.

Again, I’m all for responsible ownership of animals whether it be traditional or exotic. I’m a firm believer of protecting the animals from the general public and protect the general public from the animal. But majority of animals on the regulated list are just clumped together when some pose little to no threat to the public whether it be disease and/or dangerous.

There’s also a lot of responsible owners out there. Instead of a ban there should be specific rules. We are already over-regulating responsible, law abiding exotic owners out of existence with an overreach by federal government which duplicates existing laws and requires $4 MILLION annually to enforce. This misguided and poorly thought out bill claims to solve a crises which does not exist while eliminating ownership of exotics in American and putting the health and well being of these animals at risk.

Over regulation of exotic animals hampers those who gain valuable knowledge about each species, as many breed and owners learn farm more from their animals then a limited number of zoological parks can on their own. The private sector does have their place in the world of exotic animal keeping.


Thank you for taking your time and reading.

Sincerely,
Aric Bryant