Chatham County defines 'exotic animal' broadly to include wildlife and large reptiles or mammals. Complaints about exotic pets, wild, or protected species are referred to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, not handled as ordinary domestic pets.
Chatham County Code §22-201 defines an exotic animal as any vertebrate ordinarily confined to a zoo or normally found in the wild — including carnivorous wildlife, monkeys, raccoons, ocelots, wolves and wolf hybrids, and mammals or non-venomous reptiles over 50 pounds. Under §22-105(b), 'All complaints and matters concerning animals not of a domestic nature or exotic pets and complaints involving game animals or protected species and/or hunting shall be forwarded to the State Department of Natural Resources, Game and Fish Division or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.' Possessing many exotic species also requires a Georgia DNR wild-animal license or permit, which the state denies for most inherently dangerous species.
Exotic-animal matters are enforced by Georgia DNR Law Enforcement and the USDA rather than routine county citation; state wild-animal permit violations carry separate state penalties.
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