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BRACEVILLE -- The Braceville Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved adding an exotic animal regulations to the township zoning codes and will forward their recommendations to the trustees.
The recommendation stems from a pet monkey escape last year from a Braceville Robinson Road resident. It tried to bite people, attacked other animals and got inside homes before the monkey was recaptured.
George Gordon, zoning board chairman, said the new section would not prevent people from keeping exotic animals -- it regulates enclosures or fencing.
"Our intent here is not to tell people what they can or cannot own as pets. We did not want to get into that because it would get into parrots, snakes and turtles as pets. We wanted to provide some language in our zoning book that gave us the ability to tell how those animals are controlled and housed for the safety of the public," Gordon said.
With regulations, if an animal gets loose and bites someone, the owner could be penalized, he said.
Zoning inspector Rich Gano said the goal is for residents keep these animals on their properties and not let them get loose.
No residents attended the public hearing on the matter Tuesday night.
The section also indicates people are prohibited from keeping any endangered or protected species, with exceptions for licensed veterinarians, humane societies and animal shelters, zoos and educational institutions.
Gordon said he will present the recommendations to trustees at their Aug. 3 meeting. If trustees adopt the regulations, they also will set the punishments for violating the rules.