Arkansas County Enacts Ban on Exotic Animals

January 2003

PETA received countless complaints about an incident in Cleburne County, Arkansas, in which four lions roaming freely near an exotic animal menagerie had to be shot to death because there was no effective method of capture available. The owner of the menagerie claimed that the lions were dumped on his property and took no responsibility for their deaths.

We sent a letter of complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the agency to investigate. We also wrote to each of the quorum court members in the county to ask them to enact a ban on the private possession of exotic animals. We explained the dangers that these animals pose to residents and the perils that the animals face in the pet trade, in which they almost always suffer from a lack of proper care and an inadequate environment. The court acted quickly and responsibly by creating an ordinance, effective immediately, to prohibit the keeping of exotic and dangerous animals within the county limits.

Read more about the exotic “pet” trade.