Raleigh leaders vote to ban wild animals as pets :: WRAL.com

By Matt Talhelm, WRAL reporter

Raleigh, N.C. — The Raleigh City Council voted 6-2 on Tuesday in favor of banning harmful and wild animals inside metropolis limits. The ordinance will ban residents of the town from proudly owning lions, tigers, wolves, monkeys, hybrids or crossbreeds, and medically vital venomous snakes.

Councilmembers Stormie Forte and Nicole Stewart have been the 2 dissenting votes.

Current homeowners of the animals topic to the ban can be allowed to preserve them.

Beginning in July 2023, these with animals grandfathered in underneath the brand new ordinance can be required to register with animal management and pay a payment.

The ban for brand new homeowners to purchase a harmful or wild animal as a pet goes into impact on Sept. 3.

Owners who violate the ordinance could have their animals impounded by police and pay a $500 penalty. They’ll even have to reimburse the town for all prices of caring for, housing and relocating their animals.

Tuesday’s vote comes after a venomous zebra cobra was noticed on a north Raleigh porch in June 2021. The search and seize of the animal grabbed consideration for days, and it later got here out that it had escaped from its homeowners months earlier than.

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