ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg Metropolis Council will contemplate a proposed ordinance that might ban the retail sale of rabbits by pet shops.
The town already prohibits the retail sale of canine and cats inside metropolis limits.
The Metropolis Council is anticipated to debate and vote on the proposed ordinance at a gathering on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
“When neighborhood advocates introduced the undesirable pet rabbit problem to our consideration earlier this 12 months, essentially the most speedy resolution was so as to add rabbits to our present retail gross sales ban, which at the moment contains canine and cats,” mentioned councilmember Lisset Hanewicz in an announcement to ABC Motion Information.
“By banning the sale of pet rabbits, we hope to lower the inflow of deserted rabbits, which burdens animal shelters and rescue organizations.”
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SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo has about 30 rabbits for adoption this week and sees about 300 rabbits yearly. Pet house owners give up their animals for a wide range of causes.
“I feel generally individuals suppose as a result of they’re in a cage, they are not the identical quantity of labor as a cat or canine, however certainly they’re,” mentioned Tara Yurkshat, chief operations officer at SPCA Tampa Bay.
“The issues that we hear essentially the most typically are I am transferring, or my landlord will not permit it. We do see lots of people with allergy symptoms,” mentioned Yurkshat.
The proposed ordinance would exempt house breeding and individuals who promote canine, cats, or rabbits from their houses.
If the ordinance passes, a public listening to shall be held on Sept. 28.