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Raleigh leaders vote to ban wild animals as pets

The ban for new owners to acquire a dangerous or wild animal as a pet goes into effect on Sept. 3. Current owners of the animals subject to the ban will be allowed to keep them.

Posted Updated

By
Matt Talhelm
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Raleigh City Council voted 6-2 on Tuesday in favor of banning dangerous and wild animals inside city limits. The ordinance will ban residents of the city from owning lions, tigers, wolves, monkeys, hybrids or crossbreeds, and medically significant venomous snakes.

Councilmembers Stormie Forte and Nicole Stewart were the two dissenting votes.

“I just want to remain consistent in my voting against this ordinance, so would like the chance to vote ‘no’ on this,” Stewart said.

Current owners of the animals subject to the ban will be allowed to keep them.

Beginning in July 2023, those with animals grandfathered in under the new ordinance will be required to register with animal control and pay a fee.

The ban for new owners to acquire a dangerous or wild animal as a pet goes into effect on Sept. 3.

Owners who violate the ordinance will have their animals impounded by police and pay a $500 penalty. They'll also have to reimburse the city for all costs of caring for, housing and relocating their animals.

The ordinance defines dangerous wild animals as any "non-domesticated animal, which is normally found in the wild state" and "is inherently dangerous to person or property."

Tuesday’s vote comes after a venomous zebra cobra was spotted on a north Raleigh porch in June 2021. The search and capture of the animal grabbed attention for days, and it later came out that it had escaped from its owners months before.

The city expects a registration of about 250 animals. That's only about 20% of the people they estimate own these type of animals in the city right now.

The cost of the ban is estimated at more than $850,000 to pay for a registration system and additional animal control officers. It's a price the city is looking to lower.

“I’m having real heartburn about this,” said Mayor Mayor-Ann Baldwin. “However, I have gotten some clarification that we will not be spending the $850,000 on this.”

U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers President Phil Goss said he believes the ordinance fails to focus on irresponsible people and criminals.

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