Captive Wild Animal Amendment No 1 of 2016
STATE OF MICHI GAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES LANSING RICK SNYDER DR. WILLIAM E. MORITZ DIRECTOR GOVERNOR SUBMITTED: December 14, 2015 RESUBMITTED: January 19, 2016 MEMORANDUM TO THE DIRECTOR Subject: Definitions, Exemptions, and Enclosure Requirements Captive Wild Animal Amendment No. 1 of2016 Authority: The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, authorizes the Director to issue orders to regulate the possession of game and protected animals. Discussion and Background: The Captive Wild Animal Order was last updated in 2001. Since that time, there have been changes in Michigan related to the designation of game species, exotic pet trends, animal housing recommendations, institutional recognitions, and administrative practices. The purpose of this order is to establish and revise certain rules on permits, exemptions, and enclosures required of individuals who hold game animals in captivity. In particular, the Department recommends updating and adding definitions related to this order, updating enclosure requirements, specifying exemption criteria, and clarifying language and formatting. Definitions: To provide more clarity to current and potential permit holders, the Department recommends updating the definitions to define commonly used terms and to align with state legislation, including "exhibitor," "waterfowl," and "veterinarian." In addition, the Department recommends clarifying which game species may be permitted by this order. For example, there are several species of fox in North America but only Urocyon cinereoargenteus and Vulpes vulpes, the gray fox and red fox (which includes all color phases such as silver), can be found in the wild in Michigan and are regulated under this order. The authority to regulate non-native species that come into Michigan, such as Vulpes velox, the swift fox, belongs to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).
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