Handling, Training, and Exhibition of Potentially Dangerous Exotic or Wild Animals

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 97-001-1]

Handling, Training, and Exhibition of Potentially Dangerous

Exotic or Wild Animals

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: Through this document, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service is requesting information concerning what practices are

currently used for handling and training potentially dangerous exotic

or wild animals used in exhibition (such as, but not limited to,

elephants, lions, or tigers), and what training and experience levels

trainers and handlers of such animals have. We are seeking this

information to help us more thoroughly examine all issues pertaining to

the training and handling of potentially dangerous exotic or wild

animals used in exhibition.

DATES: Consideration will be given only to comments received on or

before September 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 97-001-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS,

suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please

state that your comments refer to Docket No. 97-001-1. Comments

received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th

Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing to

inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to

facilitate entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen Smith, Staff Animal Health

Technician, Animal Care, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 84, Riverdale, MD

20737-1234, (301) 734-7833.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under the Animal Welfare Act (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), the

Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to promulgate regulations

governing the humane handling, housing, care, treatment, and

transportation of certain animals by dealers, research facilities,

exhibitors, and carriers and intermediate handlers. Regulations

established under the Act are contained in 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3. 9

CFR part 2 contains regulations that cover training and handling of

animals under the Animal Welfare Act. These regulations generally

prohibit physical abuse of performing animals, describe minimum

standards for exhibition of animals to prevent risk or harm to the

animals and to the public, and require that dangerous animals be

directly supervised by a knowledgeable animal handler during public

exhibition.

We are seeking additional information concerning the training and

handling of potentially dangerous wild and exotic animals used in

exhibition in order to obtain a better understanding of the issues

pertaining to their welfare. Specifically, we are seeking information

that will help us explore the following issues:

1. What handling and training practices are used, both by the

majority of the performing animal industry and by other groups, and

what practices are considered abusive;

2. What practices are used for controlling potentially dangerous

animals that show aggression during exhibition, such as standards for

chemical immobilization and recapture of aggressive animals, and what

practices are used for preventing animals from being aggressive during

exhibition;

3. What is the incidence of aggressive behavior in these animals

during exhibition;

4. What identification methods are used for tracking wild or exotic

animals (such as tattoos or microchips); and

5. What professional or industry standards exist concerning

training and experience levels for trainers and handlers.

We are most interested in receiving information that is in the form

of published industry standards, published reports in peer-reviewed

journals, studies, and objective scientific data. For those issues on

which data or published information is not available, APHIS also

requests comments on the most cost-effective means to obtain such data.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the issues stated

above and other pertinent issues related to the training and handling

of potentially dangerous wild or exotic animals. Written comments

should be submitted within the 60-day comment period specified in this

notice under the section entitled DATES to the address listed under the

section entitled ADDRESSES.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 2131-2159; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(g).

Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of July 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97-19498 Filed 7-23-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-34-P