(a) The City recognizes the benefits of voluntary animal welfare organization programs commonly referred to "Traps, Neuter/Spay and Return Program" (TNR) as one of several methods of controlling feral cats in the City.
(b) For purposes of this section a TNR is a program in which (i) an assessment is done prior to trapping to determine the amount of cats in the area; (ii) the area neighbors are canvased to determine if any of the cats are owned; (iii) trapping is conducted only on private property with the consent of the property owner; (iv) trapping is done only during daylight hours using edible non poisonous food to entice the cats into the trap; (v) the feral and stray cats that are trapped, are thereafter sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, ear tipped, and then released to a qualified caregiver sponsored by and under the supervision of a registered animal welfare organization, or if no such caregiver can be found, released back to the wild; and (vi) an animal welfare organization registers with the City by providing written notice of its activities and areas of trapping prior to the use of any traps within the City.
(c) A person taking part in a TNR as described in this section shall not be guilty of violating section 618.19 of the Vandalia Codified ordinances when the food or other type of feed is left in functional traps and used in conjunction with the TNR program for feral cats, whereby the cat caught in the trap is in fact sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and ear tipped.
(d) A person taking part in a TNR as described in this section shall not be guilty of allowing an animal to run at large within the City of Vandalia by releasing a cat to the wild provided the cat has been sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and ear tipped under a TNR described in this section.
(Ord. 17-21. Passed 7-17-17.)