Holtsville, NY - October 8, 2015 - The Suffolk County SPCA, in cooperation with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife and US Department of Agriculture will be hosting an Amnesty Day for illegally possessed, protected, endangered and threatened animals that require special state DEC and Fish & Wildlife Permits. Included are dangerous animals, exotics, illegal reptiles and amphibians.
Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk SPCA said that the Amnesty Day is the first of its kind for unlawfully possessed mammals in Suffolk County. The program will be held at the the Town of Brookhaven Holtsville Ecology Center, 249 Buckley Rd., Holtsville, NY on Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 11 am until 3 pm.
"The purpose of this effort is to get these illegally possessed animals into a controlled environment where they can be cared for properly," Gross said. "People who are in possession of these animals unlawfully can turn them in to us without fear of prosecution. No one will be asked to give their name," said Chief Gross.
Trained handlers will be available to accept the unlicensed, exotic/illegal mammals, reptiles, amphibians from the public. People are asked to bring the animals in containers which will be returned on a numbered basis.
Animals that will be accepted during the program: All reptiles that are venomous
Large Constrictor Snakes listed below
1) Burmese Python
2) Reticulated Python
3) African Rock Python
4) Green Anaconda
5) Yellow Anaconda
6) Australian Amethystine Python
7) Indian Python
Large Lizards / Monitors listed below
9) Asiatic (water) Monitor
10) Nile Monitor
11) White Throat Monitor
12) Black Throat Monitor
13) Crocodile Monitor
14) Komodo Dragon
15) All species and sub-species of Crocodilia (alligators, crocodiles & caimans)
NON TARGETED SPECIES:
Species that do not require permits, and/or are not threatened, endangered or illegal will not be accepted.
NATIVE WILDLIFE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THIS EVENT.
For more information contact:
Suffolk County SPCA 631 382-7722
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 631 444-0250
US Fish & Wildlife Services 516 825-3950