In case you haven't heard yet, San Francisco really likes animals. So much so that they're considering banning the sale of pets in pet stores. The proposed ban aims to curb people from impulsively buying pets only to give them up later, which often results in shelter crowding or euthanization. The ban would cover the sale of all of God's creatures except for fish, because let's face it, nobody cares about your pet goldfish. But could the ban be making its way to New York? more ›

Since Connecticut has banned the ownership of exotic animals—including gorillas, chimps, orangutans, lions, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, ocelots, bobcats and other big, wild cats, wolves, coyotes and bears—as pets, the state is offering a one-day amnesty program that will allow people to bring in their exotic and illegal pets to a zoo without repercussions. The Connecticut Post reports, "All animals collected become property of the DEP... homes will be found for the animals, though probably not at the zoo. Most of the pets will likely go to wildlife sanctuaries or other agencies equipped to handle them." The director of the Beardsley Zoo, where owners can turn in their pets on July 25, Gregg Dancho said he's seen monkeys hanging out in kitchen and people walking mountain lions, "A lot of times, this is impulse buying." Oh, this reminds us of Ming, the tiger found in a Harlem apartment nearly six years ago. more ›

Connecticut's General Assembly voted yesterday to ban chimpanzees, as well as other primates, as pets. This comes nearly three months after a Stamford woman was severely mauled by her friend's pet chimp—Charla Nash "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face and suffered significant brain, eye and tissue injuries in the attack." The Hartford Courant reports, the "bill would add only gorillas, chimps and orangutans to the list of wild animals already prohibited under existing state law: lions, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, ocelots, bobcats and other big, wild cats — as well as wolves, coyotes and bears." An earlier version of the bill, which included animals like "baboons, kangaroos, wolverines, hyenas, elephants, hippos, alligators, crocodiles, rattlesnakes, cobras and pythons," was stalled because apparently ferrets are related to wolverines, causing concern among ferret owners. Last month, Nash's family said on the Today show that she will need at least two more years of hospital care. more ›