AR-News: Wilkes County, NC Bans “Pet” Exotic Animals

[Nicole Paquette]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nicole Paquette, API Legal/Government Affairs Director – (916) 
447-3085 ext. 214 / npaquette at api4animals.org

North Carolina County Bans “Pet” Exotic Animals
Animal Protection Institute Lauds Action as Important Safety Measure, Model 
for Nation

April 21, 2004 – Following the tragic death of a North Carolina boy killed 
by his aunt’s tiger, the county where the incident occurred has outlawed 
the private possession of exotic animals as pets within county 
limits.  Last December, 10-year-old Clayton James Eller was fatally mauled 
by a 400-pound Bengal tiger at his aunt’s Wilkes County, North Carolina home.

Wilkes County lawmakers Tuesday night unanimously passed an ordinance 
prohibiting exotic “pets” after receiving assistance and model language 
from the Animal Protection Institute (API), a national animal advocacy 
non-profit organization with 85,000 members and supporters. API has drafted 
an exotic animal ordinance that is used as a model across the 
country.  Under the ordinance, exotic animals are defined as 
non-domesticated wildlife such as bears, wolves, tigers and other wild 
cats, non-human primates, dangerous reptiles, and other non-traditional 
“exotic” animals.

API worked closely with Wilkes County attorney Tony Triplett, in the 
drafting of the ordinance. API has long advocated against the private 
possession of dangerous exotic animals. The incident that resulted in the 
death of the Wilkes County boy, like hundreds of others reported around the 
country, could have been avoided if a wild animal had not been kept captive.

“We commend Wilkes County lawmakers for moving in the right direction by 
taking a pro-active step to protect   their residents and the animals’ 
welfare,” says API’s Director of Legal and Government Affairs Nicole 
Paquette. “These incidents should send a message that no one is safe and 
that state lawmakers should enact a ban on the private possession of these 
animals, before another child is killed. North Carolina currently has no 
statewide laws safeguarding the public from dangerous exotic pets. “We urge 
North Carolina state lawmakers and the rest of America to follow suit 
before another incident occurs” Paquette adds.

“This incident demonstrates that wild animals, even those kept as “pets”, 
are unpredictable and can prove to be dangerous,” says Paquette.  “It’s 
impossible to totally eliminate the ‘wild’ from wild animals - these 
animals are time bombs waiting to explode,” she says.

The Animal Protection Institute has an extensive list of incidents 
involving wild animals in captivity, including dangerous exotic animals in 
private possession.  For more information on API’s exotic “pet” campaign, 
visit: <http://www.api4animals.org/321.htm>http://www.api4animals.org/321.htm.

The Animal Protection Institute is a national non-profit animal advocacy 
organization with 80,000 members, working to end animal cruelty and 
exploitation through legislation, litigation, and public education.  API 
also operates a 186-acre primate sanctuary near San Antonio, Texas that is 
home to over 400 rescued and retired snow monkeys, baboons, and 
vervets.  For more information about API, API’s Primate Sanctuary, and the 
organization’s mission, campaigns and activities, please visit: 
<http://www.api4animals.org/>www.api4animals.org.

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