Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 250 - Department of Environmental Management › Chapter 40 - Agriculture and Resource Marketing › Subchapter 05 - Animal Health › Part 3 - Rules and Regulations Governing Importation and Possession of Wild Animals › Section 250-RICR-40-05-3.6 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Wherever used in this Part the following
				  terms should be construed as follows:
1.
				  "Animal" and "Animals" means every living creature including but not limited to
				  any species of mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, insect, aquatic
				  organisms, or other animal except a human being.
2. "Department" means the Department of
				  Environmental Management.
3.
				  "Director" means the Director of the Department of Environmental Management, or
				  his/her duly authorized agent or agents.
4. "Domestic animal" means any animal, which
				  through extremely long association with humans, have been bred to a degree that
				  has resulted in genetic changes affecting the temperament, color, conformation,
				  or other attributes of the species to an extent that makes them unique and
				  distinguishable from wild individuals of their species. For the purposes of
				  this Part the term domestic animal shall apply to the following animals:
a. Alpaca (
Lama
				  pacos
),
b. Common Coturnix
				  (
Coturnix coturnix or C. japonica
),
c. Common Pigeon (rock dove) derived from the
				  blue rock pigeon (
Columba livia
),
d. Domestic Camel (
Camelus
				  dromedarius and Camelus bactrianus
),
e. Domestic Cat (
Felis catus
) excluding hybrids with wild felines,
f. Domestic Cattle (
Bos taurus and
				  Bos indicus
),
g. Domestic
				  Chicken (
Gallus "domesticus"
) derived from the red junglefowl
				  (
Gallus gallus
),
h. Domestic Dog (
Canis
				  familiaris
) excluding hybrids with wild canids,
i. Domestic Ducks derived from the Mallard (
Anas platyrhynchos
), including, but not restricted to,
				  Aylesbury duck, Blue Swedish duck, Buff duck, Cayuga duck, Crested White duck,
				  English call duck, Indian runner duck, Pekin duck, and Roen duck, derived from
				  the Muscovy duck (
Cairina moschata
),
j. Domestic Equines (
Equus caballus,
				  Equus asinus
) including hybrids with other domestic equines, but not
				  hybrids with wild equines,
k.
				  Domestic Geese derived from the greylag goose (
Anser anser
),
				  including, but not restricted to, Emden goose, Gray African goose, Pilgrim
				  goose, Sebastopol goose, and Toulouse goose, derived from the swan goose
				  (
Anser cygnoides
), including, but not restricted to, the
				  African goose and the Chinese goose, derived from the Egyptian goose
				  (
Alopochen aegyptiaca
),
l. Domestic Goat (
Capra
				  hircus
),
m. Domestic
				  Guineafowl derived from the helmet guineafowl (
Numida
				  meleagris
),
n. Domestic
				  Hamster derived from (
Mesocricetus auratus
) and
				  (
Phodopus sp.
),
o.
				  Domestic Rabbit, including breeds, varieties, and strains derived from the
				  European rabbit (
Oryctolagus cuniculus
) but not including the
				  European rabbit (Ferae naturae) and not including the so-called "San Juan"
				  rabbit,
p. Domestic Sheep (
Ovis aries
),
q.
				  Domestic Swine (
Sus scrofa domestica
) excluding those animals
				  that meet the definition of wild/feral swine, as defined herein,
r. Domestic Turkey derived from the wild
				  turkey (
Meleagris gallopavo
) and including breeds and
				  varieties recognized by the American Poultry Association and the U.S.
				  Department of Agriculture, but not including the wild turkey (
Ferae
				  naturae
) and captive or captive-bred individuals thereof and not
				  including the pen-raised or gamefarm non-standard variety "Wild
				  Turkey,"
s. Domestic Water Buffalo
				  (
Bubalis bubalis
),
t. Domestic Yak (
Bos
				  grunniens
),
u. Guinea Pig
				  (
Cavia porcellus
),
v. Laboratory Mouse, including breeds,
				  varieties, and strains derived from the house mouse (
Mus
				  musculus
),
w. Laboratory
				  Rat, including breeds, varieties, and strains derived from the Norway rat
				  (
Rattus norvegicus
),
x. Llama (
Lama glama
),
y. Mongolian Gerbil (
Meriones unguiculatus
),
z.
				  Peafowl (blue peafowl) (
Pavo cristatus
).
5. "Enclosure" means any structure used to
				  immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as
				  a room, pen, run, cage, or compartment.
6. "Endangered species" means any animal so
				  declared by the United States Secretaries of the Interior or Commerce under the
				  provisions of the Federal Endangered Species Conservation Act or any animal so
				  declared by the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental
				  Management pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-34.
7. "Exempt exotic animal" means any animal
				  that is neither listed nor defined as a domestic animal or native wild animal,
				  but for which there is no requirement to obtain an exotic animal possession
				  permit. The list of exotic animals that are exempt from the requirement of
				  obtaining an exotic animal possession permit is found in §
											3.17 of this Part.
8. "Exotic animal" or "Exotic wild animal"
				  means any vertebrate or invertebrate other than those defined as domestic
				  animals, native wildlife, or exempt exotic animals.
9. "Exotic animal possession permit" means a
				  permit issued by the Department, in order to authorize the permittee to import
				  and/or possess any exotic wild animal(s) specifically listed on the
				  permit.
10. "Federally accredited
				  veterinarian" means any veterinarian who holds a current license in good
				  standing in any State and who is recognized by the United States Department of
				  Agriculture as having completed the necessary requirements for Federal
				  accreditation.
11. "Health
				  certificate" or "Certificate of veterinary inspection" means an official form
				  of the State of origin that states the animal(s)/bird(s) have been inspected
				  and found free of contagious, infectious or communicable diseases, and contains
				  the date of the veterinary inspection as well as the dates and results of all
				  required tests, and describes the animal(s)/bird(s) by species, breed, age,
				  sex, and any individual identification such as ear tags, tattoos, leg bands,
				  microchip, or other means of individual identification, and contains the data
				  for all required tests and vaccinations prior to entry into Rhode Island
(including the name and address of the laboratory that performed the
				  test
), and has the complete name and address of the consignor and
				  consignee, and contains the signature of the inspecting veterinarian as well as
				  that of the official having jurisdiction over the disease of animals in the
				  State of origin.
12. "Hybrid" means
				  any animal which is a result of the cross breeding of a domestic and wild
				  animal for which there is no USDA conditionally licensed or unconditionally
				  licensed rabies vaccine.
13.
				  "Native animal possession permit" means shall be issued by the Department, in
				  order to authorize the permittee to import and/or possess any native wild
				  animal(s) which is specifically listed on the permit.
14. "Native wildlife" or "Native animal" or
				  "Native wild animal" means all species of animals, including all subspecies
				  thereof, occurring naturally, either presently or historically, within the
				  boundaries of the State of Rhode Island, regardless of where the animal
				  originated.
15. "Person" means any
				  individual, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust,
				  corporation or company including but not limited to educational and research
				  institutions, zoological gardens, schools, colleges, universities, pet stores,
				  animal care facilities, and laboratories.
16. "Pet shop" means a temporary or permanent
				  establishment where animals are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or
				  exchange to the general public at retail. This shall not include an
				  establishment or person whose total sales are the offspring of canine or feline
				  females maintained on their premises and sold from those premises.
17. "Possess" or "Possession" means to
				  exercise dominion or control over a wild animal at any point starting from the
				  point at which the decision is made to import, purchase, breed, keep, or
				  otherwise manage an animal and lasting up until its ultimate
				  disposition.
18. "Quarantine" means
				  shall refer to the types of enclosures necessary to ensure that the confined
				  animal will not have any contact, either directly or through fomites, with any
				  domestic animal, wild animal, or person, other than the person(s) charged with
				  the immediate care of the animal.
19. "RIDEM" means the Department of
				  Environmental Management.
20.
				  "Researcher" means someone engaged in scientific research or experimentation
				  and who is a student, faculty member, employee or contractor at an accredited
				  college, university, or research institution.
21. "Short-term exhibition" shall mean for a
				  period not to exceed thirty (30) days, from the time the animal(s) in question
				  enter the State until the time they leave.
22. "Target species" means those species that
				  are the most common wildlife carriers of rabies including raccoons, skunks,
				  bats, woodchucks, and foxes or other mammal species as may be determined by the
				  Rhode Island Rabies Control Board.
23. "USDA" means the United States Department
				  of Agriculture.
24. "USFWS" means
				  the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
25. "Veterinarian" means an individual
				  currently licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Rhode
				  Island.
26. "Wild animal" means any
				  animal other than a domestic animal and includes those animals that may be
				  defined as exotic or native wild animals.
27. "Wild swine" or "Feral swine" means any
				  animal of the genus and species (
Sus scrofa
) that is not
				  intended for commercial agricultural purposes such as breeding or meat
				  production, for pet ownership, or for biomedical research. A wild/feral swine
				  can also refer to a domestic pig that has escaped from captivity or has been
				  released into the wild (accidentally or otherwise), or one that is descended
				  from such animals.