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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 25, 2001 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by V. Anne Miles 3 January 25, 2001 Orange County is not allowed. The only exemption allowed is for animals used for teaching and/or research purposes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Other than these changes the ordinance remains the same. The ordinance would not apply to incorporated municipalities within Orange County. Motion was made by Martha Stucker, seconded by Janet Southerland and carried without dissent for the Board to forward with a recommendation for approval the Amended Ordinance "Prohibiting the Keeping of Wild Animals Dangerous to Persons and Property within Orange County" to the Board of County Commissioners. 2. Proposed "Ordinance Prohibiting the Display of Wild and Exotic Animals in Orange County" In the summer of 2000, the Board of Commissioners heard from a request from the Committee on Human and Animal Safety, a local group of residents requesting that the county institute an ordinance that bans the display of exotic animals. The Board of Commissioners referred the matter to the Board of Health. Over the past seven months the Board of Health has studied the matter thoroughly and worked with the county attorney’s office to draft an ordinance for consideration by the Commissioners. The Board of Health’s Animal Control and Environmental Health Committee received extensive materials from the circus industry and from the Committee on Human and Animal Safety for consideration. The committee believes an ordinance would serve two purposes: 1) that such an ordinance will protect the health and safety of the citizens of Orange County and 2) that such an ordinance would contribute to the protection of wild and exotic animals from potentially cruel, neglectful and abusive situations. The committee first considered this matter as an amendment to the current “Ordinance Prohibiting the Keeping of Wild Animals Dangerous to Persons and Property within Orange County,” however; the committee rejected that proposal as potentially confusing to the public. Therefore this is a separate ordinance proposal. The purpose of the ordinance is to prohibit the display of wild and exotic animals within Orange County specifically for the purposes of entertainment or amusement. It does not prohibit the exhibition of animals for educational purposes by non-profit groups, institutions or individuals. Section 2 of the Proposed Ordinance specifies that “It shall be unlawful for any person to display or sponsor a display of wild or exotic animals on any public or private property within Orange County.” Section 3 of the proposed ordinance details enforcement steps and penalties