Sales of 'wild' animals would be limited, definition expanded under proposed law
A sloth at Sloth Encounters in Hauppauge last year. Credit: Howard Schnapp
A state senator is seeking to expand the legal definition of “wild" animals and limit their sale, proposed legislation prompted by the sale of animals including sloths at a Hauppauge-based business.
Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood) said animal advocates have reached out to express concerns about the continued operation of Sloth Encounters, which despite recent court orders to cease operations that violate Islip law, is still in business. The exotic pet store advertises the sale of sloths and kangaroos, among other things, on its social media.
“It’s not only inhumane and unethical for wild and exotic animals to be sold or kept as pets in New York State, but it’s also a public safety concern for those I represent,” Martinez said Wednesday.
Under Martinez’s proposal, “wild" animals would encompass "indigenous, non-domesticated animals native to the country in which they live" and “exotic" animals would be defined as wild animals with origins on a different continent.
The list of animals included under the definition of “wild animal” would also name several additional species and animal groups, including kangaroos and sloths.
The bill would further prohibit people from selling, harboring or owning exotic animals in New York.
Martinez said the law would apply to anyone selling exotic animals, not just Sloth Encounters, and the legislation “would not apply to any zoo facility, wildlife sanctuaries or any exclusions that already fall under” New York statutes.
The legal definition of a “wild animal” has been among the focal points of an ongoing lawsuit between the Town of Islip and Sloth Encounters.
The business, run by federally licensed animal exhibitor Larry Wallach, has insisted that sloths are not legally considered wild animals in Islip, an interpretation contested by the town’s attorneys.
John Zollo, an attorney representing Sloth Encounters, emphasized the store is in compliance with a preliminary injunction handed down from a Suffolk County Supreme Court judge on Friday. He said other pet stores could be impacted by the legislation as well.
"We're going to sit and wait because it might not come to be anything," he said. "If the legislators in the State Senate want to put something forward at some point, we might have to deal with it, but I really think they're just selectively going after one person here as a result of another person's apparent crusade."
John Di Leonardo, president of Humane Long Island, an animal advocacy group that approached Martinez and has accused Wallach of exploiting animals for profit, said the organization is “thrilled” about the senator’s proposal.
“This important bill will prevent countless exotic animals, like sloths and kangaroos, from being endangered by wildlife traffickers like Sloth Encounters' owner, Larry Wallach, who recklessly sells dangerous, wild animals as pets," he said.
Besides ordering the Hauppauge business to "immediately cease" operations that violate Town of Islip code, last week's preliminary injunction also denied Sloth Encounters' motion to dismiss the case, which has been ongoing since September, when a judge issued a temporary restraining order closing the business.
Di Leonardo has highlighted multiple violations issued to Wallach by federal agencies, including two critical violations in August for allegedly lying to U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors about a sloth bite that occurred at the shop.
Sloth Encounters has been the impetus for another bill at the county level.
In November, Suffolk County lawmakers said they hoped to pass a law that would ban traveling shows featuring wild and exotic animals to prevent mistreatment or the spreading of disease.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
