Los Angeles is a city that is no stranger to exotic pets. The Los Angeles Animal Services has encountered a wide variety, including lions, seals, bears [C.75.1](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/17122), and even anteaters. Exotic pet ownership is overseen by the Department, but in the past this has proven difficult. Residents interested in exotic pets often acquired them without permission and were under-qualified to meet the needs of these animals. The various news stories of wild animals roaming around the city served as a reminder to all about the dangers of irresponsible ownership and provided an opportunity for animal service to advocate for the proper means for keeping exotic animals. 

In the late 60s and early 70s, the housing of animals deemed wild or exotic was legal in Los Angeles if one went through the proper legal channels. In 1970, Robert Rush, the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation, warned those interested in keeping a wild animal to “treat it like a pistol with a hair trigger. The animal can be sweet, docile and gentle 99 percent of the time. It’s when he pulls the trigger that it’s too late,” [B.29](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11593). Those who felt they could adhere to Rush’s warning could apply for a wild animal permit and pay the associated annual $15 fee [B.29](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11593). In this same document Rush does prohibit animals he deems a “zoo material” such as lions, hippos, and gorillas. There was also a $10 city permit required to bring wild animals into the city [B.39.38] (https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/media/12536). A noteworthy example of someone following these guidelines is J. Paul Getty, who in 1969 was highlighted for his maintenance of a 70-acre wildlife reserve (now the grounds of the Getty Villa and Museum  that was home to”three buffalo, a 20 year old Cinnamon bear, two Himalaya (black) bears, four mountain sheep, and four white reindeer.” [B.29] (https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11593). Getty was praised by Rush for his efforts and faithfulness to the $15 annual permit fee [B.37.135](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11920).

It seems though that Getty’s obedience to the legal code was an exception to the norm. There are numerous reports of wild animals causing mischief in the city, and more often than not their owners did not have the proper permits to own these animals. For example, in 1969, Ray Eugene Grant was fined $65 dollars for leaving his lion named Tarzan [C.129.29.3](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/16643) in a truck parked in Hollywood while he went shopping. Once pointed out by some kids in the street, the lion was picked up by Los Angeles Animal Services and spent three days at the Ann St. Shelter, reportedly running up a meal tab of $12.86 [B.37.146](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11952). Despite the fines, Grant could consider himself lucky as violators of this offense might face  up to a $500 fine and/or six months of jail time [A.14.8](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/10839). Another instance of exotic pet ownership without a permit was when a sun bear named Joshua escaped from his owner and was found in a residential area near the Hollywood Bowl [B.37.128](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11912). His owner was booked and Joshua was taken in by a shelter of the Animal Services Department. Similar to other cases of the impounding of exotic pets, the shelter could not maintain Joshua. He was first offered to the Los Angeles Zoo and then put up for auction and purchased by a woman from Santa Monica who paid $3.94 for the bear [B.37.128] (https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/11912). The department used the coverage of these mishaps as an opportunity to remind Los Angeles residents to procure the proper permits to keep their exotic pets.    

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Animal Services Department further outlined the rules on owning exotic pets and took a stricter approach. They defined a wild animal as, “any wild, exotic, dangerous, or nondomestic animal or reptile,” and required neighbors to be notified of the keeping of any animal that would fall under this definition [I.30.12](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/5547). In a 1997 permit requirements document, they demanded an inspection of the premise and that a wild animal permit must be obtained in order to keep these kinds of pets. It gave authority to the General Manager to decide whether the animal can be maintained safely and reserves the right to revoke the permit if any violation occurred or the safety of nearby individuals was considered “menaced” by the pets presence. [I.30.12](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/5547). This document also associates a $70 dollar permit fee for “Alligator farm, ostrich farm, and wild animals” and a $130 fee for “Miscellaneous animal or reptile establishment” [I.30.12](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/5547). It is unclear which exotic pets fall under which permit, but this would most likely be under the discretion of the General Manager. The department made an effort to regulate the sale of these wild animals from pet shops by prohibiting the sale of wild animals to people under the age of 18 and necessitating that they provide permit applications and general care instructions upon the purchase of an exotic pet. The department also outlined the distance requirements that corresponded to each animal. Any exotic pet had to be kept at least 20 ft from the dwelling of an owner and 35ft from the dwelling of any person other than the owner. Some animals had greater distance requirements for the people other than the owner, such as the panda, 75 ft, and for louder animals like the seal[C.129.17.1](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/16542), 100 ft [I.30.12](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/5547). Zoning also played a role in the keeping of exotic pets. Businesses related to the wild animals were only allowed in medium (M2) and heavy (M3) industrial zones. Additionally some pets that had previously been seen in LA were outlawed such as bears, gorillas, elephants, rhinos, etc. [I.30.7](https://feldman.labyrinth.garden/admin/item/5573).

The guidelines set out in the 90s and 00s have remained fairly consistent up until the present day. The most noticeable difference in exotic pet ownership is an increase in permit fees and greater regulation around filming. A wild animal permit is now $290 and a miscellaneous animal or reptile establishment permit is $205 dollars. There is also a $680 fee associated with the filming of exotic animals and a separate permit is required. The zoning laws, prohibited pets, and the format of the permit application are practically the same. Additionally, the law now distinguishes between a dangerous and wild/exotic animal and requires more information about the acquisition of said animals in an effort to curtail illegal trafficking (https://www.laanimalservi ces.com/permits).

Los Angeles is a city known for its extravagance and rich history. This is reflected in the city's story of exotic pets and the legacy of the early adventurous pet owners have left an observable impact on the present. Exotic and wild animals, while fascinating, are a serious undertaking and the guidelines set out by the Department work to promote the safety of both the animals and the people that interact with them.

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