Irregular pets: New Yorkers are increasingly complaining about the breeding of animals banned in the city
'21.09.2020'
Vita Popova
Complaints about banned pets have skyrocketed this year. This may be due to the fact that many New Yorkers stayed at home more often due to quarantine and could hear voices and sounds made by animals. The edition writes about it New York Post.
Between January 1 and September 15, 2020, City Hotline 311 received 315 calls about “illegal animals” kept as pets by New Yorkers.
More than half of these complaints were about roosters - 164 complaints. Another 54 calls concerned other farm animals. Also, New Yorkers complained that their neighbors kept ferrets, iguanas, snakes and even monkeys at home.
Primates were reported by residents of the Bronx and Queens. In 2020, three such complaints were registered. The first came on January 30th from an eyewitness who said that at 1095 University Ave. the tenants brought in chimpanzees. A similar complaint was filed on March 7 and concerned residents of the same address in Highbridge Gardens. On July 14, the hotline received a call again. This time, the caller reported that the five-story building located at 25-74 42nd St. in Astoria, they keep monkeys.
Overall, complaints about exotic animals are up 77% this year. Perhaps this is due to the fact that many people stayed at home more often due to quarantine and could hear the voices and sounds of animals.
On the subject: 10 pets that can not be started in New York
Queens (89) have reported the most complaints this year, followed by Brooklyn (77), the Bronx (69) and Staten Island (57). Manhattan residents have only complained about illegal pets 23 times.
From zebras to elephants to bats and ferrets, the city's sanitary code bans the possession of wild animals - the latter received four complaints this year.
Also, New Yorkers were worried about snakes - the hotline 311 from the beginning of the year and until September 15 received nine calls with relevant complaints.
This year, there have been no complaints of predatory animals such as tigers, lions and bears kept as pets. The last complaint about a 136-kg tiger living in an apartment building in Harlem was in 2003. This tiger has spent the past 15 years at an animal shelter in Ohio and died last year.
