Title
Accepting a gift from the Humane Society of the United States for travel costs for an Animal Control Supervisor from the Department of Safety and Inspections to transport a marmoset primate from Minnesota to Kentucky for final transport to a primate sanctuary in Florida.
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WHEREAS, Saint Paul Animal Control officers seized a four year-old marmoset, a non-human primate, on October 17, 2019 based upon violations of Saint Paul Legislative Code 198.03 (a) and Minnesota Statute 346.155, which prohibit the ownership of such non-human primates; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) has identified Jungle Friends, a 501(c)(3) primate sanctuary located in Florida, as a USDA licensed facility which can appropriately care for a marmoset; and
WHEREAS, the marmoset cannot be sent by plane because of temperature conditions in airplane cargo holds and will need to be driven; and
WHEREAS, DSI contacted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) with the goal to find a partner for transportation, and HSUS made arrangements with the Primate Sanctuary in Kentucky to transport the marmoset to Florida if HSUS and DSI could him get him to Kentucky before the Thanksgiving holiday; and
WHEREAS, the trip to Kentucky requires a rental car with two drivers, gas, one night in a hotel, and return airfare; and
WHEREAS, HSUS has offered to pay the costs of the vehicle and fuel to drive from Saint Paul to Kentucky, the cost of airfare for the Animal Control Supervisor to return from Kentucky to Minnesota, in addition to hotel and food costs; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that acceptance of the payment of these costs will allow DSI to implement the placement of the seized marmoset in an approved sanctuary. Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council for the City of Saint Paul accepts the gifts of payment of these expenses and thanks HSUS for its generous donation.