S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    252
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. MARTINEZ, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, MAY, SEPULVEDA -- read
   twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
   Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN  ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to wild
   or exotic animals

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  e  of  subdivision 6 of section 11-0103 of the
 environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 10 of the laws  of
 2005, is amended to read as follows:
   e.  ["Wild  animal" shall not include "companion animal" as defined in
 section three hundred fifty of the agriculture and markets  law.    Wild
 animal  includes,]  "WILD  ANIMAL"  MEANS  INDIGENOUS,  NON-DOMESTICATED
 ANIMALS NATIVE TO THE COUNTRY IN WHICH THEY LIVE. "EXOTIC ANIMAL"  MEANS
 A  WILD  ANIMAL  WITH AN ORIGIN OF A DIFFERENT CONTINENT. THE TERMS WILD
 ANIMAL AND EXOTIC ANIMAL SHALL NOT INCLUDE "COMPANION ANIMAL" AS DEFINED
 IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY OF THE AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS LAW.  WILD
 ANIMALS  AND  EXOTIC ANIMALS INCLUDE and [is] ARE limited to, any or all
 of the following orders [and], families, AND GENERA:
   (1) Nonhuman primates and prosimians,
   (2) Felidae and all hybrids thereof, with the exception of the species
 Felis catus (domesticated and feral cats, which shall mean  domesticated
 cats  that were formerly owned and that have been abandoned and that are
 no longer socialized, as well as offspring of such cats) and hybrids  of
 Felis catus that are registered by the American Cat Fanciers Association
 or  the International Cat Association provided that such cats be without
 any wild felid parentage for a minimum of five generations,
   (3) Canidae (with the exception of domesticated dogs and captive  bred
 fennec foxes (vulpes zerda)),
   (4) Ursidae,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00904-01-5
 S. 252                              2
 
   (5)  All  reptiles that are venomous by nature, pursuant to department
 regulation, and the following species and orders: Burmese Python (Python
 m. bivittatus), Reticulated Python (Python  reticulatus),  African  Rock
 Python  (Python  sabae),  Green  Anaconda  (Eunectes  maurinus),  Yellow
 Anaconda  (Eunectes  notaeus),  Australian  Amethystine  Python (Morelia
 amethistina and Morelia  kinghorni),  Indian  Python  (Python  molurus),
 Asiatic  (water) Monitor (Varanus salvator), Nile Monitor (Varanus nilo-
 citus), White Throat Monitor (Varanus albigularis), Black Throat Monitor
 (Varanus albigularis ionides) and Crocodile Monitor (Varanus salvadori),
 Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodensis) and any hybrid thereof,
   (6) Crocodylia,
   (7) MACROPODIDAE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED  TO  KANGAROOS,  WALLABIES,
 TREE-KANGAROOS, WALLAROOS, PADEMELONS AND QUOKKAS,
   (8) CETACEA (INCLUDING WHALES AND DOLPHINS),
   (9) ELEPHANTIDAE (ELEPHANTS),
   (10) HYAENIDAE (HYENAS),
   (11) PERISSODACTYLA (INCLUDING RHINOCEROSES, TAPIRS AND ZEBRAS),
   (12) PINNIPEDIA (INCLUDING SEALS, SEA LIONS AND WALRUSES),
   (13) XENARTHRA (INCLUDING SLOTHS, ANTEATERS AND ARMADILLOS),
   (14) VIVERRIDAE (INCLUDING BEARCATS),
   (15) CYNOMYS, AND
   (16) CAPYBARAS.
   §  2. Section 11-0512 of the environmental conservation law is amended
 by adding a new subdivision 3-a to read as follows:
   3-A. ANY PERSON WHO POSSESSES OR HARBORS AN EXOTIC ANIMAL PURSUANT  TO
 PARAGRAPH  E  OF  SUBDIVISION SIX OF SECTION 11-0103 OF THIS ARTICLE FOR
 USE AS A PET AT THE TIME THAT THIS SUBDIVISION TAKES EFFECT  MAY  RETAIN
 POSSESSION  OF  SUCH ANIMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF ITS LIFE, PROVIDED THAT
 SUCH PERSON:
   A. HAS NOT BEEN CONVICTED  OF  ANY  OFFENSE  RELATING  TO  CRUELTY  TO
 ANIMALS OR UNDER A JUDICIAL ORDER PROHIBITING POSSESSION OF ANIMALS; AND
   B.  APPLIES  TO THE DEPARTMENT WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE
 OF THIS SECTION, AND OBTAINS FROM THE DEPARTMENT, A LICENSE PURSUANT  TO
 SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.