[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 142 (Thursday, July 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 39802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19498]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-001-1]


Handling, Training, and Exhibition of Potentially Dangerous 
Exotic or Wild Animals

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: Through this document, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service is requesting information concerning what practices are 
currently used for handling and training potentially dangerous exotic 
or wild animals used in exhibition (such as, but not limited to, 
elephants, lions, or tigers), and what training and experience levels 
trainers and handlers of such animals have. We are seeking this 
information to help us more thoroughly examine all issues pertaining to 
the training and handling of potentially dangerous exotic or wild 
animals used in exhibition.

DATES: Consideration will be given only to comments received on or 
before September 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to 
Docket No. 97-001-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, 
suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please 
state that your comments refer to Docket No. 97-001-1. Comments 
received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th 
Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing to 
inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to 
facilitate entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen Smith, Staff Animal Health 
Technician, Animal Care, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 84, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1234, (301) 734-7833.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the Animal Welfare Act (the Act) (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), the 
Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to promulgate regulations 
governing the humane handling, housing, care, treatment, and 
transportation of certain animals by dealers, research facilities, 
exhibitors, and carriers and intermediate handlers. Regulations 
established under the Act are contained in 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3. 9 
CFR part 2 contains regulations that cover training and handling of 
animals under the Animal Welfare Act. These regulations generally 
prohibit physical abuse of performing animals, describe minimum 
standards for exhibition of animals to prevent risk or harm to the 
animals and to the public, and require that dangerous animals be 
directly supervised by a knowledgeable animal handler during public 
exhibition.
    We are seeking additional information concerning the training and 
handling of potentially dangerous wild and exotic animals used in 
exhibition in order to obtain a better understanding of the issues 
pertaining to their welfare. Specifically, we are seeking information 
that will help us explore the following issues:
    1. What handling and training practices are used, both by the 
majority of the performing animal industry and by other groups, and 
what practices are considered abusive;
    2. What practices are used for controlling potentially dangerous 
animals that show aggression during exhibition, such as standards for 
chemical immobilization and recapture of aggressive animals, and what 
practices are used for preventing animals from being aggressive during 
exhibition;
    3. What is the incidence of aggressive behavior in these animals 
during exhibition;
    4. What identification methods are used for tracking wild or exotic 
animals (such as tattoos or microchips); and
    5. What professional or industry standards exist concerning 
training and experience levels for trainers and handlers.
    We are most interested in receiving information that is in the form 
of published industry standards, published reports in peer-reviewed 
journals, studies, and objective scientific data. For those issues on 
which data or published information is not available, APHIS also 
requests comments on the most cost-effective means to obtain such data. 
Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the issues stated 
above and other pertinent issues related to the training and handling 
of potentially dangerous wild or exotic animals. Written comments 
should be submitted within the 60-day comment period specified in this 
notice under the section entitled DATES to the address listed under the 
section entitled ADDRESSES.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 2131-2159; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(g).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of July 1997.
Terry L. Medley,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-19498 Filed 7-23-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P