Can you become a Tiger King near Carson City? Maybe, but don't you dare feed any pigeons

A certain popular Netflix documentary, Tiger King, has taken the quarantined world by storm, in which several bizarre big-cat owners face off, alleging many criminal enterprises at each other with the back drop of exotic animals who sometimes maim their keepers.

It makes one wonder, what are local laws for keeping exotic animals? For the cost of $2,000, could you in Carson City procure yourself a baby tiger?

The answer is no, but also, it’s complicated. Because while in Carson City your “exotic” pets are limited to four female chickens or maybe two small-sized pot belly pigs or rabbits, if you simply step over the border to some of our sister counties, there are very different regulations.

For example in Washoe County, you can, in theory, procure virtually any exotic animal. Tigers, bears, kangaroos, otters, you name it. So long as you receive a permit from the director of regional animal services.

According to Shyanne Schull, the Director of Washoe County Regional Animal Services, there are currently eight permit holders with nine animals in Washoe County.

Those animals are:

2 Servals
2 Bobcats/Lynx
1 Mountain Lion
1 Macaque
1 Capuchin
2 Burmese Pythons

There is currently one permit pending for a bobcat, said Schull.

It used to be a very different process to receive a permit to house an exotic animal in Washoe County. Up until recently, an applicant would file their application, receive an inspection of their premises, and then the county would set a date for a hearing before the Animal Control Board. The public would have a set time to file objections, and then the board would meet and vote on whether or not the applicant would be approved to house an exotic animal.

Now, however, that power rests solely with the director of regional animal services, who takes into consideration the animal control officer’s investigation and review of the premises.

“Each permit application goes through an inspection, a department complaint history review, neighbor notification process and then a final report is reviewed once the property has met any specific requirements on the inspection notes,” said Schull.  “Each permit application is re-inspected annually.”

Exotic animals are also placed into different tiers within Washoe County. A tier one exotic animal includes animals that do not need a permit, such as guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, domestic farm animals, birds, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, gophers, turtles, small snakes, etc.

Tier two essentially pertain to animals that are larger than tier one, or need more space than tier one, but are not huge or do not need a very large amount of space. For example, a constrictor who is greater than 12 feet in length and 30 pounds in weight, such as a python, a reptile that is greater than 20 pounds such as the Nile monitor, prairie dogs, kinkajous, exotic cats that are less than 65 pounds such as the ocelot and serval, etc.

Tier three encompasses everything else. Tigers, badgers, kangaroos, otters, leopards, wolves, hyenas, gorillas, rattlesnakes, giraffes, elephants, alligators, and many more.

“A few other changes that occurred with the code amendment include insurance requirements that more adequately match the inherent level of risk by Tier,” said Schull. “Tier 2 animals require $25,000 per animal of liability insurance and each Tier 3 animal requires $250,000 in coverage.  In order to be approved for a permit, the applicant must present a plan for a species appropriate enclosure, have an insurance policy or bond covering the animal as outlined in the code, have an enrichment plan and have an emergency contact and evacuation plan to name a few of the requirements.”   

There are also two exotic animal non-profits in Washoe County, wildlife sanctuary Animal Ark and Sierra Safari Zoo.

To learn more about Washoe County’s exotic animal ordinances, click here.

Similarly in Lyon County, exotic animals may be obtained and housed within Yerington, as long as a permit is obtained. Exceptions for permits include zoos, circuses, humane societies, research facilities and more that have been previously approved of by the city.

Just one year ago, the Lyon County Planning Commission unanimously voted down a conditional use permit for an exotic animal sanctuary focusing on big cats.

Applicant Bonnie Ringo is the owner of the Tiger Preservation Center in Cave Junction, Ore., and had wanted to move her facilities to Yerington off of Bowman Lane.

However, after the board learned there was pending litigation against their Oregon facility, which caused the board to vote no despite their “unblemished record of care” for over 35 years.

According to a 2015 article in the Grants Pass Daily Courier, the lawsuit filed by Josephine County in 2012 claimed that Ringo was operating the preservation center without construction permits. These permits were not obtained before the construction of a house, a barn, horse stalls, fences, a shed/bathroom, a two-story shed/residence, and two additional sheds.

Ringo then sent out a fundraising letter claiming that Josephine County was threatening to shut down the facility and euthanize their 30 exotic big cats. The county denied all claims and said it was a fraudulent attempt to raise money from people, according to the 2015 article.

After the Lyon County Planning Commission voted to deny Ringo’s application, Ringo told the Reno Gazette Journal she would be consulting with her attorney because she felt they “got kind of a dirty deal” by having to pay $1,500 for a permit application (which is standard procedure) only to have it denied.

Storey County, which houses popular tourist-destination Virginia City, does not have any ordinances regarding exotic animals.

It does, however, include an ordinance that prohibits feeding of any undomesticated pigeon within Virginia City or Gold Hill; violation of this hilarious ordinance is classified as a misdemeanor crime.

Virginia City, located within Storey County, has a long history of exotic animals, from the annual Camel and Ostrich Races, to being host to a black leopard named Sheba who could be found in the early 2000s posing with children along C Street.

While Douglas County does have extensive ordinances regarding dogs, cats, and even ferrets, their animal ordinances also do not mention exotic animals. Does this mean exotic animals are allowed? That is unknown, and Douglas County has not responded for comment on their exotic animal rules at this time.

So, could you become a Tiger King yourself? Not in Carson City, but within our sister counties, the answer is: probably.