Fla. officials offer amnesty day for exotic pets

[March 16, 2009]  MIAMI (AP) -- Got a spare rhesus monkey, Mexican spiny-tailed iguana or Cuban tree frog causing trouble around the house?

Wildlife officials in Florida and the Miami Metrozoo are holding their fifth annual Non-native Pet Amnesty Day on Saturday.

Owners of exotic pets are allowed to turn them in without facing the usual fines and other penalties for violating the state's wildlife laws.

Wildlife officials say the amnesty day gives overwhelmed pet owners an alternative to releasing exotic animals into Florida's ecosystem.

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[Associated Press]

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