- Target:
- Mayor and City Council of Milton, Georgia
- Region:
- United States of America
Thank you for signing the petition in opposition to the use permit and wild animal zoo in Milton, Georgia. The Milton City Council voted on Monday, March 18th and granted the applicant a conditional use permit. He will be able to increase the number of cages on his property from 12 to 20 (rebuild 8 that he had previously dismantled). In addition, he is allowed small and medium primates, birds and marsupials. No limits have been placed on the number of species or the number of each species, but the animals must be humanely caged. He will not have a public zoo, but will be able to exhibit his animals by invitation/reservation. We are disappointed at this outcome and feel that he has been allowed both expansion and a zoo of sorts.
Should you ever witness an escape, please call 911 for local responders. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources MUST be contacted for a report to be filed at 404.656.3500. Noise issues may be reported to the City of Milton If it is during working hours, Monday through Friday, then contact code enforcement officers, Deidra Jones or Bill Hayes.
Bill
Hayes
678-242-2549 desk
Code Enforcement Officer
678-232-4974 cell
Deidra
Jones
678-242-2549
Code Enforcement Officer
404-867-4049
If it is off hours or weekends please call 911. The Police Chief said that there are several sound meters among the officers.
Please note that if there had been documented complaints in the past we might have had more success in our endeavor.
Thank you for your support.
Wild animals — lions, tigers, wolves, bears, reptiles, non-human primates — belong in their natural habitat and not in the hands of private individuals as “pets.” By their very nature, these animals are wild and potentially dangerous and, as such, do not adjust well to a captive environment.
The American Veterinary Medical Association, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have all expressed opposition to the possession of certain wild animals by individuals. These animals do not make good companions. They require special care, housing, diet, and maintenance that the average person cannot provide.
When in the hands of private individuals the animals suffer due to poor care. They also pose safety and health risks to their possessors and any person coming into contact with them.
Wild animals are inherently dangerous to the individuals who possess them, to their neighbors, and to the community at large. Across the country, many incidents have been reported where wild animals held in private hands attacked humans and other animals, and escaped from their enclosure and freely roamed the community. Children and adults have been mauled by tigers, bitten by monkeys, and asphyxiated by snakes.
We fail to understand why such business should be permitted within the City of Milton and nestled between several densely populated subdivisions. Besides the potential nuisance associated with the cries of wild animals who are outside of their natural habitats, we are gravely concerned about the endangerment to our families presented by both animal escapes and the potential transmission of infectious diseases.
The approval of this commercial enterprise, appears to be one which is going to disrupt a peaceful community, cause economic harm to current homeowners and would not be in the best interest of the City of Milton or these animals.
We, the undersigned residents of the City of Milton, Georgia, attest that we are in opposition to the installation of an wild animal preserve/zoo on the property located at 14325 Hopewell Road, and call on the city council to deny Dean Riopelle's use permit U12-01/VC12-07 for Exotic Animals to operate a Primate and Exotic Animal Preserve on approximately 20.74 acres.
A 2 part concurrent variance, 1) Not to plant to buffer standards for a width of 75 feet along the east property (Sec. 64-1141(3)(b)). 2) To allow parking between the building and the right-of-way (Sec 64-1145(6)(c)).
Impacted residents in Milton have a vested interest in the value of their property, concern about increased traffic and noise, and safety of their families that establishing this preserve/zoo would immediately affect in a negative way.
The installation of the wild animal preserve/zoo is inconsistent with the character of the neighborhoods surrounding these locations and would increase traffic congestion and noise levels. We would hope the City of Milton would discourage the preserve/zoo and protect against visual blight and damage to our community aesthetics, safety, and values.
The Stop Wild Animal Zoo at 14325 Hopewell Road, Milton Ga petition to Mayor and City Council of Milton, Georgia was written by Kay Norvell and is in the category City & Town Planning at GoPetition.