[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Bear Creek Township as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 6-22-1998 by Ord. No. 2-1998]
It is recognized that the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Township of Bear Creek must be protected to the maximum extent possible and legally permissible. It is further recognized that the keeping of certain animals poses a serious danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Bear Creek Township due to both the nature of certain animals and the demographics and environment of the Township of Bear Creek.
It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, association, firm or corporation to keep, maintain or have in his or its possession or under his or its control within the Township of Bear Creek any poisonous reptile or any other dangerous or carnivorous wild animal or reptile, any vicious or dangerous domesticated animal or any other animal or reptile of wild, vicious or dangerous propensities.
It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, association, firm or corporation to keep, maintain or have in his or its possession or under his or its control within the Township of Bear Creek any of the following animals:
All poisonous animals, including rear-fang snakes
Apes: chimpanzees (Pan), gibbons (Hylobates), gorillas (Gorilla), orangutans (Pongo) and siamangs (Symphalangus)
Baboons (Papoi, Mandrillus)
Bears (Ursidae)
Bison (bison)
Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
Crocodilians (Crocodilia) 30 inches in length or more
Constrictor snakes, six feet in length
Coyotes (Canis latrans)
Deer (cervidae; includes all members of the deer family; for example, white-tailed deer, elk, antelope and moose)
Elephants
Game cocks and other fighting birds
Hippopotamus
Hyenas, jaguars, leopards, lions, lynxes, ostriches, Puma felis concolor, also known as cougars, mountain lions, and panthers
Rhinoceroses, snow leopards, swine, tigers, wolves
The provisions of §§ 50-2 and 50-3 shall not apply to licensed pet shops, menageries, zoological gardens and circuses if:
A. 
Their locations conforms to the provisions of Chapter 127, Zoning, of the Code of the Township of Bear Creek.
B. 
All animals and animal quarters are kept in a clean and sanitary condition and so maintained as to eliminate objectionable odors.
C. 
Animals are maintained in quarters so constructed as to prevent their escape.
Any person, firm, corporation or group of individuals found in violation of this article shall, upon conviction thereof before any issuing authority, be subject to a fine of up to $600 and may be sentenced to a period of incarceration not exceeding 90 days in the Luzerne County Jail. Each incident in violation of this article shall be considered a separate offense and may be punishable as such.