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WILDLIFE Proposals ban new backyard pet bears, regulate pet skunks Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 6, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 6, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Wildlife management proposals for Oregon would, among other things, prohibit any new penned bears and cougars in backyards and set new rules for people keeping skunks as pets. New wildlife holding and propagation rules proposed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife would grandfather in existing backyard cougars and bears and bobcats that heretofore could be kept in Oregon provided their cages passed a one-time inspection. Under proposed rules sent Thursday to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in Salem, these animals will join wolves as banned from future holding and breeding. Waivers could be given for animals used for entertainment or commercials on a case-by-case basis. "We're not planning on any new ones," says Colin Gillin, the ODFW's state veterinarian. "We're not planning on any more bears held in cages in people's backyards as in the past." The proposals are part of a wide-ranging rewrite of wildlife rules addressing ways to keep diseases such as rabies from spreading to wild populations via captive ones and setting standards for what animals can be kept and how they are held. For instance, it is currently illegal for anyone to keep a wild raccoon or skunk, and it is illegal to buy, trade or breed raccoons and skunks in Oregon. However, Oregon is one of only 16 states — and the only one in the West — that allows for the importation of skunks bought from U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed breeders, mostly from the Midwest and South. But ODFW biologists have no way of knowing how many pet skunks are out there, and whether they were properly imported or plucked from the wild, Gillin says. "As far as skunks go, a lot of them are treated as pets," Gillin says. "But in 90,000 square miles of Oregon, you don't know where they are," Gillin says. "You need to report them somehow." The agency is proposing to require skunk owners get a $25 annual Wildlife Holding Permit and that the pet skunks be marked permanently with an implanted microchip or a tattoo on an ear or lip. Those with two or more skunks of different sexes would be required to have them sterilized so they don't breed. The proposal sets forth caging and holding standards currently not in place, but does allow for skunks to be kept at homes. The commission will give the ODFW-supported proposal the sniff tests against two other alternatives, one not changing the current rules and the other requiring a one-time $25 permit for skunk-owners each time they acquire a new one, the draft states. Also under the new proposals, people would be able to keep just two each of a group of common reptiles and mammals deemed plentiful in the wild, but sets standards for their holding and bans their re-release into the wild. Capturing and keeping wild animals often leads to stress that can spread diseases between the animals, to other animals and to humans, biologists say. Releasing them could spread diseases into the wild and disrupt animal dynamics in an area where animals are released. Current rules ban the release of nonnative animals in Oregon, but so far there have not been any clear rules involving the release of common native species. The draft rules, however, do not contain a "no touch" requirement, and they do not restrict, for instance, the capture, photographing and release of a frog or snake on site, says Michelle Dennehy, ODFW's Wildlife Division spokeswoman. The rules would kick in when the animals are taken home, she says. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jun. 6, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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