Bill Text: NY S00252 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 252

Introduced

Bill Title: Provides that "wild animal" means indigenous, non-domesticated animals native to the country in which they live and "exotic animal" means a wild animal with an origin of a different continent; adds certain wild or exotic animals to the list of non-companion animals; provides certain owners of wild or exotic animals with a license process.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION [S00252 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00252-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           252

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. MARTINEZ, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, MAY, SEPULVEDA -- read
          twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
          Committee on Environmental Conservation

        AN  ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to wild
          or exotic animals

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Paragraph  e  of  subdivision 6 of section 11-0103 of the
     2  environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 10 of the laws  of
     3  2005, is amended to read as follows:
     4    e.  ["Wild  animal" shall not include "companion animal" as defined in
     5  section three hundred fifty of the agriculture and markets  law.    Wild
     6  animal  includes,]  "Wild  animal"  means  indigenous,  non-domesticated
     7  animals native to the country in which they live. "Exotic animal"  means
     8  a  wild  animal  with an origin of a different continent. The terms wild
     9  animal and exotic animal shall not include "companion animal" as defined
    10  in section three hundred fifty of the agriculture and markets law.  Wild
    11  animals  and  exotic animals include and [is] are limited to, any or all
    12  of the following orders [and], families, and genera:
    13    (1) Nonhuman primates and prosimians,
    14    (2) Felidae and all hybrids thereof, with the exception of the species
    15  Felis catus (domesticated and feral cats, which shall mean  domesticated
    16  cats  that were formerly owned and that have been abandoned and that are
    17  no longer socialized, as well as offspring of such cats) and hybrids  of
    18  Felis catus that are registered by the American Cat Fanciers Association
    19  or  the International Cat Association provided that such cats be without
    20  any wild felid parentage for a minimum of five generations,
    21    (3) Canidae (with the exception of domesticated dogs and captive  bred
    22  fennec foxes (vulpes zerda)),
    23    (4) Ursidae,

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00904-01-5

        S. 252                              2

     1    (5)  All  reptiles that are venomous by nature, pursuant to department
     2  regulation, and the following species and orders: Burmese Python (Python
     3  m. bivittatus), Reticulated Python (Python  reticulatus),  African  Rock
     4  Python  (Python  sabae),  Green  Anaconda  (Eunectes  maurinus),  Yellow
     5  Anaconda  (Eunectes  notaeus),  Australian  Amethystine  Python (Morelia
     6  amethistina and Morelia  kinghorni),  Indian  Python  (Python  molurus),
     7  Asiatic  (water) Monitor (Varanus salvator), Nile Monitor (Varanus nilo-
     8  citus), White Throat Monitor (Varanus albigularis), Black Throat Monitor
     9  (Varanus albigularis ionides) and Crocodile Monitor (Varanus salvadori),
    10  Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodensis) and any hybrid thereof,
    11    (6) Crocodylia,
    12    (7) Macropodidae including but not limited  to  kangaroos,  wallabies,
    13  tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons and quokkas,
    14    (8) Cetacea (including whales and dolphins),
    15    (9) Elephantidae (elephants),
    16    (10) Hyaenidae (hyenas),
    17    (11) Perissodactyla (including rhinoceroses, tapirs and zebras),
    18    (12) Pinnipedia (including seals, sea lions and walruses),
    19    (13) Xenarthra (including sloths, anteaters and armadillos),
    20    (14) Viverridae (including bearcats),
    21    (15) Cynomys, and
    22    (16) Capybaras.
    23    §  2. Section 11-0512 of the environmental conservation law is amended
    24  by adding a new subdivision 3-a to read as follows:
    25    3-a. Any person who possesses or harbors an exotic animal pursuant  to
    26  paragraph  e  of  subdivision six of section 11-0103 of this article for
    27  use as a pet at the time that this subdivision takes effect  may  retain
    28  possession  of  such animal for the remainder of its life, provided that
    29  such person:
    30    a. Has not been convicted  of  any  offense  relating  to  cruelty  to
    31  animals or under a judicial order prohibiting possession of animals; and
    32    b.  Applies  to the department within six months of the effective date
    33  of this section, and obtains from the department, a license pursuant  to
    34  subdivision four of this section.
    35    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.