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More scary EPA BS-super nanny government coming so
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by tigers9 on April 7, 2009
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OK, this is just too dumb, every step closer to SUPER nanny state/government. Charla Nash’s case is very sad, but she was voluntarily friend with the chimp owner and she CHOOSE herself to interact with the chimp over the years VOLUNTARILY.
If we start over regulating and banning everything that is potentially dangerous, pretty soon we will all be living in caves (well maybe not, what if they collapse and kill us) and running around naked, since piece of clothing can be used to strangle each other, or if eaten, cause deadly bowel obstruction....clothes can kill!...how much more silly will these laws and reasoning behind them get? If this is about public safety, exotics are the least concern, it is all about sensationalism and hysteria.
And I sure hope these politicians stop using air planes, as flying can kill too. Cars too, well, maybe we all just should stay home and wait for our heart attacks or cancer to kill us. (end of my sarcastic rant)
Z
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<snip>
McCarthy is scheduled to appear in Washington on Thursday for a Senate confirmation hearing for her new job as assistant administrator for air and radiation at the federal Environmental Protection Agency. She said the Feb. 16 mauling of Stamford resident Charla Nash by the chimp could be brought up at the hearing.
"The lesson for me to be learned is that there really needs to be at the federal level as well as the state level some clear standards and some clear direction," McCarthy said, referring to the possession of exotic animals.
<snip>
http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-chimpanzeeattackapr01,0,5066298.story
DEP chief: Chimp case shows communication problem
Associated Press
Associated Press Writer
April 1, 2009
HARTFORD, Conn.
The failure of Connecticut environmental protection officials to act on a biologist's warning that a 200-pound chimpanzee posed a threat in Stamford highlights both a communications problem and a lack of expertise in exotic animals at the agency, its commissioner said.
"We needed to really do a better job at tracking calls that came in, concerns that are raised and raising issues up to the highest level," Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy told The Associated Press in an interview.
McCarthy is scheduled to appear in Washington on Thursday for a Senate confirmation hearing for her new job as assistant administrator for air and radiation at the federal Environmental Protection Agency. She said the Feb. 16 mauling of Stamford resident Charla Nash by the chimp could be brought up at the hearing.
"The lesson for me to be learned is that there really needs to be at the federal level as well as the state level some clear standards and some clear direction," McCarthy said, referring to the possession of exotic animals.
Nash, 55, was attacked by a 14-year-old chimpanzee named Travis that was owned by a friend, Sandra Herold. In a 12-minute assault that has attracted worldwide attention, Travis critically wounded Nash, who lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids. She is now in critical but stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic.
An Oct. 28, 2008, memo from an unnamed state Department of Environmental Protection biologist to her superiors, released last week, warned that Travis "continues to be a concern as to public safety" and is "tremendously strong."
"I am concerned that if he feels threatened or if someone enters his territory, he could seriously hurt someone," wrote the biologist, who referred to the situation as "an accident waiting to happen."
McCarthy said she was not informed of the biologist's concerns, which were not acted upon.
"This was an instance where I believe that we had some communication challenges because I clearly wasn't aware of this situation and I think that the staff was very concerned," McCarthy said.
Sen. Andrew McDonald, co-chairman of the General Assembly's committee that handles legal claims against the state, said the memo could prove the state was negligent.
"It seems to me that there was a serious and tragic lapse of judgment within DEP in this instance and I think that's going to end up costing the taxpayers significantly," said McDonald, D-Stamford, the former attorney for his city where the attack occurred.
Nash's family has already filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold. An attorney for the family would not comment on other possible legal action.
Nash's family has a year from the date of the attack to file a claim with the state's Office of Claims Commissioner. The commissioner would review the claim and approve or deny it.
If the commissioner denies the request to seek damages from the state, the family could appeal to the General Assembly.
McCarthy said an internal review of the situation is still being conducted at DEP.
"It is a horrible incident and we clearly want to know all the factors that led to it and we never want this to ever happen again," she said.
McCarthy, meanwhile, is urging the General Assembly to pass legislation that bans people from owning potentially dangerous animals, including chimpanzees.
A similar bill, proposed by the DEP, died in the 2004 legislative session, leaving the statutes to be amended "in a way that makes our laws in this area ambiguous and difficult to enforce," McCarthy wrote to lawmakers. She was referring to a permit exemption for primates weighing less than 50 pounds.
McDonald, who was serving in the General Assembly at the time, said he was not aware of the DEP's original proposed primate ban or the move to exempt smaller primates.
"There has been and continues to be a lot of struggle about how we manage these exotic animals in the face of laws that are very ambiguous and in the face of individuals in the whole who really feel strongly that they have a right to keep these animals," McCarthy said. "We need very clear guidance and then this agency will move forward with that guidance in mind."
AP-ES-04-01-09 1833EDT
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