County considers licensing of exotic animals

Jace Radke

Tuesday, March 27, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

As Joshua Weinstein sat in the back of an ambulance Sunday night after a Bengal tiger that he owned had killed his friend and co-trainer, Eric Bloom, Weinstein said he hoped the incident wouldn't be used as an excuse to institute new exotic animal regulations.

Officials with Clark County Animal Control, however, already had completed a 15-page draft ordinance that would force owners of exotic animals to comply with numerous rules in addition to an annual licensing process.

"I don't want this to be used as ammunition for Clark County Animal Control to push to further regulate these animals," Weinstein said. "We are regulated by a multibillion-dollar agency in the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) that has the resources to do the job. I don't think we need the county to add another layer of regulation."

Animal Control chief Joe Boteilho, however, said a county ordinance is needed, because licensing of exotic animals by the USDA covers only those animals used in a business or entertainment setting.

"What people have to understand is that if someone goes down and buys a tiger or lion and takes it home, it's a pet," Boteilho said, adding, "We're trying to make it user-friendly for owners who are already USDA applicants."

The ordinance states that anyone who legally owns a restricted animal and can provide proof of federal approvals before the ordinance goes into effect would be granted a county permit. The owner also would not be subject to county care and housing provisions.

Those who are not USDA-approved and are keeping exotic animals as pets would be required to pay an annual $100 licensing fee and meet housing requirements that include perimeter fencing, double safety doors and adequate shelter. In addition, the ordinance would require proof of liability insurance. The permit fees would be held in a trust fund for the care and housing of exotic animals that might have to be impounded.

Weinstein's business, Wildlife Safari, is licensed by the USDA. His tiger, Jagger -- which killed Bloom during preparation for an advertisement photo shoot Sunday -- is housed along with other animals in a complex near Prince Ranch off Kyle Canyon Road, which is about a mile west of U.S. 95.

Jagger had performed since he was 7 weeks old, and appeared in countless motion pictures, advertisements and shows in the past six years, including photo shoots with boxer David Tua.

The county's proposed new regulations list chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bears, hyenas, elephants, rhinoceroses, kangaroos, lions, tigers and venomous snakes among the restricted animals.

The ordinance has already been discussed at public hearings and will again be open for public comment at the April 16 meeting of the Clark County Animal Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m in the Pueblo Room of the Clark County Government Center.

If passed by the advisory board, the ordinance could be heard by the Clark County Commission in May. But a proposed state law could effectively block the ordinance.

Assembly Bill 208 would make it illegal for local governments to pass restrictions that are more stringent than state laws governing the treatment, handling or transportation of animals.

The bill, proposed by Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, would not change existing local laws. If AB 208 becomes law before the ordinance, the county might not have the power to consider the tougher restrictions.