Legislation was proposed that would ban the sale of exotic animals in New York

 

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Legislation was proposed that would ban the sale of exotic animals in New York state.

The bill, proposed by State Sen. Monica Martinez (D — Suffolk County), defines exotic animals and would prevent them from being harbored, traded, imported, sold or owned as pets in the same way as wild animals. Wild animals are indigenous and non-domesticated animals native to the country in which they live, while exotic animals hail from a different continent, according to the proposed bill.

Exotic animals that would be protected under the law include sloths, kangaroos, hyenas, elephants, wallabies and armadillos.

"Wild and exotic animals require specific conditions and environments to survive," Martinez said in a news release. "The habitats in which these animals live in the wild are far from conditions that exist in New York. Any business operating with the intent of profiting by selling these exotic animals should be held accountable under the law for the unethical treatment of animals."

The proposed bill would not apply to zoological facilities, wildlife sanctuaries and other exclusions under current law.

Find out what's happening in Hauppaugewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Let's go!

John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Island, applauded the proposed legislation.

"Sloths are tree-dwelling, tropical animals with sharp teeth and four-inch claws," he said. "They are mostly deaf and nearly blind when exposed to bright light. Red kangaroos are the largest marsupial in the world, growing up to 6ft tall and weighing up to 200 pounds. A pet gray kangaroo, which is roughly half the size of a red kangaroo, made international news last year after he killed his owner and blocked paramedics from reaching him before being shot dead by the police. Wild animals are not pets and treating them like dogs or cats endangers children and animals alike."

Martinez said she is looking forward to passing the "much-needed" legislation after working with her colleagues and gaining additional support.

"It is inhumane and unethical for wild and exotic animals to be sold or kept as pets in New York State," Martinez said. "These are not animals that should be closely interacting with people on a daily basis."

Larry Wallach, an animal specialist at Sloth Encounters in Hauppauge, told ABC 7 the bill seems to be targeted at him.

Wallach told Patch he believes the bill will not pass.

"And it’s so sad with everything going on in the country they are worried about a sloth," Wallach said.

John Zollo, a Smithtown attorney representing Sloth Encounters, said he does not know if the proposed law has the supporters to move forward. He said the legislation "absolutely" targets Wallach and Sloth Encounters.

"I think it's John Di Leonardo," Zollo told Patch. "I've said this before: There is something that he's got against Larry Wallach. I don't know what it is. I don't know why John Di Leonardo has garnered so much attention. I definitely think there's something going on. You can't pass laws like this just to go after one person. That's what this seems to be. There are other ways to do things, but we have become a society that responds with knee-jerk reactions. Maybe they should go to the store and see what's going on. As a legislator, be a little more informed as opposed to just putting out legislation because someone has an emotional concern about this. It's just wrong."

Zollo said Martinez should visit Sloth Encounters, where the animals are legal.

"I think they should be more concerned not so much about the pets being sold, but about the training of the people who buy the pets," Zollo said. "That would be a better focus. We can't just keep banning everything, and if you have these extremists who seem to take control to get their voices heard, when everyone else is put on the side. I feel it's wrong, and I think if you're concerned about people getting the pets, maybe you should want to make mandatory training so people who buy a pet have to know how to care for it. If it becomes into law, we'll deal with it."

Di Leonardo said the bill, if passed, would prevent exotic animals from being "endangered by wildlife traffickers."

Sloth Encounters allowed people to pay to pet, feed and hold sloths at its 551 Veterans Memorial Highway headquarters. The store was ordered by the Suffolk County Supreme Court in late March to "immediately cease any operations that are a violation of the Town of Islip Code."

https://www.reddit.com/r/2023mastersgolftvliv/
https://www.reddit.com/r/2023mastersgolfTvnow/
https://www.reddit.com/r/theMasters2023ustV/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMasters2k23strm/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMaster2023ppv/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMaster2023onTv/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMaster2k23now/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMaster2k23us/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMaster2k23dazn/
https://www.reddit.com/r/2023mastersgolffre/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMasters2k23buffstm/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMasters2023craks/
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853746/www2ereddit2ecomrthemasters2k23buffstm
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853748/www2ereddit2ecomrthemasters2023craks
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853739/www2ereddit2ecomrthemaster2023ontv
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853740/www2ereddit2ecomrthemaster2k23now
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853743/www2ereddit2ecomrthemaster2k23us
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853744/www2ereddit2ecomrthemaster2k23dazn
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853745/www2ereddit2ecomr2023mastersgolffre
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853728/www2ereddit2ecomr2023mastersgolftvliv
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853731/www2ereddit2ecomr2023mastersgolftvnow
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853734/www2ereddit2ecomrthemasters2023ustv
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853735/www2ereddit2ecomrthemasters2k23strm
https://forum.techtudo.globo.com/perguntas/853736/www2ereddit2ecomrthemaster2023ppv

The Sloth Encounters website currently advertises the sale of sloths and kangaroos — both of which would be defined as exotic species under Martinez's proposed bill. The store also offers the sale of snakes, lizards, spiders, turtles and frogs.

"Despite the [Suffolk] Supreme Court ordering Wallach to stop operating in violation of Islip Code, Sloth Encounters is continuing to violate this order with impunity," Di Leonardo said. "Sloths with 4-inch claws and 200-pound kangaroos towering 6 feet tall are clearly not the same as dogs and cats, and if local enforcement agencies are unwilling or unable to protect their residents and stop the trafficking of these animals, it's time for the state to regulate them itself."

Zollo, who also represents Sloth Encounters's landlord, 777 Chris's Way LLC, said Sloth Encounters is not in violation of the town code.

"He has a pet store," Zollo said in March. "He's not operating a petting zoo. A pet store is a permitted use within that zoning category. If you have the opportunity to go there, you'll see it's a pet store."

Unrelated to Sloth Encounters, an Eurasian lynx got loose last July and roamed the streets of Central Islip for three days before being captured. Eurasian lynxes are mostly found in central and northern Europe and across Asia.

A massive boa constrictor was rescued after he slithered down a storm drain in Nanuet in September 2021. Boa constrictors are nonvenomous snakes native to Central and South America.