WEST VIRGINIA DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS ACT

USARK has remained active in West Virginia after the passing of their Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The final proposed list of animals has been presented and includes thousands of species. The 5 page list includes entire Orders and Families, rather than just single species. Common pets on the list include all Tetra fish, hamsters (only one species is excluded), hedgehogs, all turtles and tortoises (except WV native species), all salamanders and newts, ferrets, all Goby fish, Sugar gliders and many more. The list can be viewed at www.usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/WV-DWA-List-and-Comment.pdf. Pet keepers with these species will be subject to a $100 annual permit per animal, among other restrictions. USARK will provide updates, letters, FAQ and more on the dedicated page located at www.usark.org/2014-blog/west-virginia-dwa/. It would take 64 pages to list individually all the reptile and amphibian species proposed to be banned by WV Prop. Rule 61-30. (That's on 8.5" x 11" paper, single spaced, small font, with one line for the scientific and common name for each species). There are 1008 reptiles and 2185 amphibians included in the proposed ban. Reptiles and amphibians occupy less than 20% of the space on the proposed list. The list also includes broad scientific categories of birds, crayfish, snails, fish and mammals. This fight continues and the 30 day comment period began last week (as we announced on Facebook HERE). Please join the group at www.facebook.com/pages/WV-Chapter-of-USARC/747291521995383 for frequent updates.