Eldorado enacts ordinance that bans variety of animals

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[If you enjoy the clucking of a chicken, the crow of a rooster or stepping into the backyard to gather fresh eggs for breakfast, you should not move to Eldorado.

Should you enjoy an environment free from lions and tigers and snakes longer than 5 feet, you might want to consider moving to the community.

Eldorado City Council on Tuesday passed an omnibus measure outlawing the keeping of a variety of animals within the city.

The ordinance was prompted by chicken complaints.

Now outlawed from within the city limits are horses, mules, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, rabbits, fox, mink, chinchillas or any other animal raised for pelts or meat.

The new ordinance does allow the feeding of wild squirrels and wild rabbits.

Along with the normal domestic varieties of animals, the measure bans a wide array of wild animals, ranging from falcons to jaguarundi.

Included are snakes that are longer than 5 feet and lizards longer than 3 feet.

Any fowl kept for eggs has been banned, except canaries, parakeets and parrots when they are caged within a home.

Exempted from the ordinance are animals kept for educational or scientific purposes.

Anyone transporting animals may remain within the city for two hours, and circuses and carnivals are exempt as long as they are operating in the city.

The ordinance has no grandfather clause.

Billy Bradley, the city ordinance officer, said owners of animals banned by the ordinance will have until Oct. 20 to get rid of them.

"No more chickens, roosters or ducks will be allowed," Bradley said.

City workers said at least one snake, believed to be a boa constrictor, also will have to be removed from the city.

It has a lenghth of 8 feet.

Alleyway abandonment

During the meeting, the council placed on file for later action a petition of Ferrell Hospital to abandon a portion of an alley located near the rear of the Presbyterian Church.

Council members said a portion of the alley already is abandoned and the area requested by Ferrell is not used.