What do Wyoming and Vermont have in common? In addition to being the two least populated states, they are the only ones that do not have a zoo.
That’s not counting the wildlife spectacle that Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks offer, particularly in the summer tourist season, when bear and bison jams are common.
And Limpy the Coyote will probably play you for some friendly snacks (don’t feed the wildlife). But roads are not zoos, even if many tourists treat them as they are.
Wyoming has had several small zoos earlier in its history, such as the Pioneer Park Zoo in Sheridan, but they have been gone for decades.
Anyone who wants to see lions and tigers must go out of state, although there are many Wyoming bears that people can see, but behind the safety of an enclosure.
That’s why there will be no listings in Wyoming like those posted by National Land Realty in North Carolina. The real estate agency has two zoological properties for sale, with small arks of exotic animals.
Anyone who buys the 186-acre Lake Norman Zootastic or the 66-acre Aloha Safari Park, both in North Carolina, will get more than 300 species of exotic animals and the infrastructure to care for, display and potentially profit from them.
The menageries include giraffes, antelopes, hyenas and many other creatures, in addition to the typical lions, tigers and bears.
If some Wyoming entrepreneur decided to buy one of these zoos and move it to the Cowboy State, it would be feasible, but difficult.
Among other things, creating a new zoo in Wyoming would require permits, lots of permits. But there’s more than that.
Domestic, domesticated and allowed
Any animal in a Wyoming zoo would be under the jurisdiction of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and there is a litany of permits and regulations for importing and possessing exotic wildlife.
But the main reason there is no zoo here is that there has been no sustained effort to establish one.
“Historically, some have tried (to open a private zoo) in the past and didn’t get permission for zoos and wildlife farms,” Game and Fish Lander region spokesperson René Schell told Cowboy State Daily. “But they could, and each animal would be allowed (or banned) individually and on a case-by-case basis.”
Under Wyoming law, owning wildlife requires a permit unless it has been deemed exempt or prohibited.
Exempt animals have been designated as “domestic” or “domesticated,” and there are some exotic animals in both categories.
For example, the same exemption for cats, dogs, horses and other “domestic animals” includes zebu, a South Asian breed of livestock. The state of Wyoming also considers bison domestic, as long as they are not wild.
Llamas and alpacas are exotic animals exempt from Wyoming’s domesticated list, so they can occasionally be seen on ranches throughout the Cowboy State.
Chinchillas, ostriches, emus, Bactrian and dromedary camels, and zebras are also exempt domesticated animals.
Domesticated and domesticated animals are specifically exempt from Chapter 10 of Game and Fishing, which states that “except as otherwise specified or exempted in these regulations, a permit from the department is required prior to the importation, possession, confinement or transportation of any “live, warm-blooded animal.” wildlife.”
Any exotic animal that is not domesticated or domesticated requires an extensive permit to legally enter and remain in Wyoming, much less as a long-term resident of a zoo or safari park. Pachyderms, felids and unusual ungulates require one or two permits.
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Showcasing exotics
Patricia Wyer is the director of the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center in Cheyenne. In addition to the domestic horses, raccoons and other Wyoming wildlife kept and rehabilitated at her facility, she said she also has some “permitted exotic animals” that do not appear on the cowboy state’s exemption lists.
“We have coatis, a South American crab-eating raccoon and a permitted bobcat,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
But Broken Bandit doesn’t keep these animals with the intention of displaying them. Wyer doesn’t consider its wildlife center a zoo, nor does Wyoming Game and Fish. However, his facilities must comply with the standards established by the department.
“They dictate what the sizes of our enclosures should be and what types of elements should be incorporated into their enclosures,” he said. “They also dictate the care needed, from spaying and neutering to microchipping and that sort of thing.”
There is no general permit that covers the care and possession of exotic animals. Instead, Wyer has a special permit for each exotic in the center.
Coatimundis are distant relatives of raccoons that live in South America and the southeastern United States. Wyer has to keep his group safe, as they could wreak havoc if they ever escape.
“In the unlikely event that they get out, they could wipe out an entire endangered species,” he said. “They couldn’t survive in winter, but they could destroy a colony of black-footed ferrets.”
Wyer also said several non-permitted animals, including some zoo staples, are prohibited under state regulations.
“Big cats, like tigers and pumas, are not permitted animals (for private property),” he said. “I also think some non-native hooves are not (not allowed) because they have different diseases that can be transmitted through certain types of animals.”
Many people choose to ignore Wyoming laws and regulations, especially if there is a financial incentive to do so. But Schell said the department hasn’t had many run-ins with exotic animals.
“We have released pet fish into several ponds across the state,” he said. “We found an alligator in a pond in Cheyenne.”
Pass permissions
So, hypothetically, could a Wyomingite buy an entire zoo of exotic animals? Yes, but allowing it would be a potential nightmare.
Wyoming State Statute 23-1-302 grants the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission the authority to “regulate or prohibit the importation of exotic species, small game animals, fur-bearing animals, protected animals, game birds, migratory birds, protected birds and fish.” to Wyoming, and to regulate the importation of big game or trophy animals into Wyoming for exhibition or zoological purposes only.”
“The Department of Agriculture would oversee those animals defined as livestock or domesticated animals,” Schell said. “Each permit application that Wyoming Game and Fish would receive would be approved on a case-by-case basis.”
Basically, the commission could approve or reject any animal for a Wyoming zoo, even if private ownership is potentially not permitted. That could be a possible green light for Colossal Biosciences if it ever tries to re-wild woolly mammoths in the Cowboy State.
However, Schell said permits would be issued to the person, not the animal.
“The permits would not transfer with the sale of the property or business,” he said. “They are assigned to an individual.”
That’s also the case in North Carolina. The person or entity purchasing either of the two zoos for sale would be required to obtain a Class C Exhibitor permit from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
Wyer said the same process would apply to anyone looking to purchase the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center and its animals, but he doesn’t think it would be difficult for the right buyer.
“If someone were to take over the operation, they would have to be able to be approved and licensed through Wyoming Game and Fish,” he said. “I think some of the permits require background checks and that sort of thing, but as long as they’re approved through Wyoming Game and Fish, the transfer wouldn’t be too difficult.”
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We bought a zoo
In the 2011 film “We Bought a Zoo,” Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson endure the bureaucratic minutiae of a strict USDA inspector to open a zoo, enduring the power of love and family. The film was loosely based on the true story of the Dartmoor Zoo purchased by a British family in 2006.
If the same story played out in Wyoming, Damon’s travails with the USDA wouldn’t generate much sympathy. He would know what he was getting into when he signed the dotted line.
Schell said the extensive permitting process ensures that a zoo full of exotic animals in Wyoming does not endanger the state’s native wildlife. Any issues raised by Wyoming Game and Fish or the USDA are necessary to ensure the safety and survival of animals on both sides of the fence.
“Some parameters that our permitting section would consider are the diseases that these animals could carry that could threaten wildlife in the state,” he said, “the level of difficulty of containment, the level of difficulty in meeting living conditions human rights for the species, animals and possessed animals”. public safety concerns in the event of an escape or illegal release, just to name a few.”
The bottom line is that there is nothing stopping someone from establishing a zoo in Wyoming.
The problem is finding someone with the money to do it and the patience to wade through a mountain of permits.
In the meantime, Wyoming residents will have to make do with watching the abundant videos of visitors behaving badly toward wildlife in Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
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