§ 14-9. Dangerous animals other than dogs; prohibited animals.

(a)

The keeping or harboring of dangerous animals other than dogs within the city is hereby prohibited. Other than as to dogs which are regulated by section 14-29 and section 14-31, the supervisor of animal health and public safety shall have the authority and responsibility to declare an animal dangerous because of past behavior, violations, potential spread of zoonotic disease, or the inherently dangerous nature of the animal as to persons. Such declaration shall be made in writing and shall include the date of and reasons for the declaration. Upon request the supervisor of animal health and public safety shall provide a copy of the written declaration to the requesting person. Such a declaration shall be grounds for the impoundment and destruction of the animal unless, without danger to the public, it can be and is removed from the city within 48 hours after being declared dangerous. If such animal is found again in the city limits, it will be immediately seized and promptly destroyed or disposed of in some other manner as allowed in section 14-34, including but not limited to giving such animal to a licensed refuge or zoo.

(b)

Except insectivores animals, it is unlawful to keep or harbor any poisonous animal or any carnivorous or omnivorous animal and including but not limited to nonhuman primates, all nondomestic cats including bobcats and lynx, ocelots, mountain lions, tigers, panthers, lions, or any wild/domestic cat hybrid, wolves, wolf/dog hybrids with any percent of wolf parentage, raccoons, skunks, foxes, crocodiles, alligators and caimans. The only exclusion to this clause are domestic livestock, small fowl, domestic dogs, domestic cats and small rodents of varieties used for laboratory purposes. Nonpoisonous snakes shall be kept in locked escape-proof cages, except when being handled. It shall be an ordinance violation for an owner, keeper, harborer or handler to permit a snake or lizard to escape from a cage or while being handled.

(Code of Gen. Ords. 1967, § 6.9; Ord. No. 48707, 6-22-78; Ord. No. 53297, 10-22-81; Ord. No. 65201, 3-1-90; Ord. No. 951372, § 1, 11-9-95; Ord. No. 060086, § 1, 2-2-06)