§ 22 §1313-A — Provisions for immediate destruction of certain animals

If an undomesticated animal suspected of having rabies bites or may have otherwise exposed to rabies a person or a domestic animal, an animal control officer or a game warden shall immediately either remove the undomesticated animal or cause the undomesticated animal to be removed and euthanized for testing. If a wolf hybrid suspected of having rabies bites or may have otherwise exposed to rabies a person or a domestic animal, an animal control officer or a law enforcement officer shall immediately cause the animal to be euthanized for testing. When in the judgment of the animal control officer, game warden or law enforcement officer the animal poses an immediate threat to a person or domestic animal, the animal control officer, game warden or law enforcement officer may immediately kill or order killed that animal without destroying the head. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall arrange for the transportation of the head to the State Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, except that the animal control officer shall make the arrangements if the animal is a wolf hybrid.
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall pay transportation and testing costs for undomesticated animals. The owner of a domesticated ferret, domesticated wolf or domesticated wolf hybrid shall pay transportation and testing costs for that animal.

Legislative History

PL 1993, c. 468, §23 (NEW). PL 1997, c. 704, §11 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 133, §2 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 598, §11 (AMD).