NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – A Tennessee senator wants to make it easier to keep the state’s official wild animal — the raccoon — as a pet. Sen. Shane Reeves, a Middle Tennessee republican, has introduced a bill amendment that, if approved, will go into effect July 1.
The amendment itself changes the language of a bill primarily centered on reporting injuries caused by captive wildlife, waving a $31 personal ownership permit for raccoons if some conditions are met. In order to avoid the fee, the raccoon would need to be:
- Legally obtained and vaccinated
- Not captured from the wild
- A possession permit has already been issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Foregoing a $31 fee isn’t expected to impact the state’s pocketbook all that much. Alan Hampton, a state fiscal analyst, filed a memorandum for the amendment saying as much.
“It is unknown how many persons may possess a raccoon, meet the prescribed conditions, and not pay a permit fee who otherwise would have made such payment to obtain a permit,” it said. “However, the number of such instances is assumed to be low such that any decrease in state revenue is estimated to be not significant.”
Raccoons are a common sight in Tennessee. In the Volunteer State, they tend to weigh between eight and 25 pounds and are found in many habitats, both rural and urban.
