At its July meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved rule language related to captive wildlife reporting requirements for injuries and escapes. The new rule improves public safety and provides information necessary for the management of captive wildlife. Staff received feedback from stakeholders on the proposed rule language and incorporated changes to address concerns raised during public meetings and online comments.

Rule changes related to reporting criteria for injuries and escapes will create consistency across all captive wildlife classes for permittees and assist the Captive Wildlife Section with gathering data for effective management. The final rule language includes:

• Requiring all captive wildlife permittees to report to the FWC any injuries to anyone other than the permittee or an authorized employee that are caused by captive wildlife and that require treatment beyond basic first aid. Injuries to permittees and qualified employees must be reported if the injuries result in serious bodily injury or death
• Requiring permittees to report all escapes of Class I, II, III and Venomous Reptiles of Concern (VRC).
• Adjusting the threshold at which an injury becomes a violation of the rule.
• Prohibiting the unauthorized breaching of a public safety barrier.
• Providing FWC staff the flexibility to require a digging barrier for animals that have exhibited digging behavior.
• Clarifying rule language regarding open-top enclosures.

“Public safety is a priority for the FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement and this new rule will help ensure that proper notifications are provided to law enforcement personnel and the public when a captive wildlife injury or escape occurs. As always, our Captive Wildlife Section will continue to work closely with the industry to promote responsible ownership of captive wildlife,” said Col. Roger Young, director of the FWC Division of Law Enforcement.

View the Commission meeting agenda and documents at MyFWC.com/Commission by clicking on “Commission Meetings” and the agenda under “July 13-14, 2022.”