G.A.T.O.R. Project

G.A.T.O.R. Project

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The issue at hand is that the State of Michigan currently has no regulation pertaining to the possession of alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and their kin. An estimated five-thousand alligators live as pets in Michigan. It is increasingly common for these exotic pets to be released into the wild at some point in their lengthy lives; the reality of this decision is that doing so is imposing a danger to people living nearby, troubling for the ecosystem, and a death sentence for the animal. 

Even though some townships and municipalities have exotic animal ordinances, they fail to cover animals like crocodilians ...

The issue at hand is that the State of Michigan currently has no regulation pertaining to the possession of alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and their kin. An estimated five-thousand alligators live as pets in Michigan. It is increasingly common for these exotic pets to be released into the wild at some point in their lengthy lives; the reality of this decision is that doing so is imposing a danger to people living nearby, troubling for the ecosystem, and a death sentence for the animal. 

Even though some townships and municipalities have exotic animal ordinances, they fail to cover animals like crocodilians because it never occurred to administrators that anyone would privately own such creatures.

Our mission is to secure a better future for crocodilians through drafting a law that would require a permit in order to privately own these animals. This proposal includes: establishing a standard of care, appropriate safety measures, and disposition plan.

 

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Send a message to your elected officials- Alligator ownership should be better regulated!

Dear Michigan Elected Officials,

The unregulated ownership of crocodilian species in the State of Michigan leads to tragic outcomes for virtually every alligator, caiman, or crocodile acquired in this state. Abandoned crocodilians show up regularly and annually in our waterways because the state fails to enact simple regulations to protect both the animals and people who may have an unexpected encounter with an alligator abandoned in our waterways.

Requiring reasonable permit conditions will go a long way to ensure that these large carnivores are only kept by people or institutions that can demonstrate the ability to properly manage alligators, crocodiles, and caimans. Requiring a permit for the possession of captive crocodilians will eliminate impulsive purchases and require people to think about the considerable challenges of maintaining crocodilians in a safe and humane way.

I support The Creature Conservancy's proposed regulatory changes and outlined standards of care, and agree that they make our state safer.

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