The final draft of proposed regulations to govern wildlife being held in captivity was released Thursday by Environment Minister Jim Kenyon.

While Kenyon is giving Yukoners another 30 days to comment on the regulations, he maintained he's not opening up the discussion to any substantive changes.

Rather, the minister explained in a press conference this morning, it is an opportunity to out any housekeeping matters that may have been missed in drafting the legislation.

'We just want to make sure what goes out there does not have something really silly in it,' Kenyon said.

The 17-page document addresses a wide range of issues relating to wildlife in captivity, from export and import permits for big game animals to song birds that break a wing or are simply stunned after bouncing off a picture window.

The public has until Feb. 24 to submit written responses to the legislation.

The Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board has expressed a fundamental concern over holding wildlife in captivity for the purpose of making money, such as the Yukon Wilderness Preserve purchased recently by the Yukon government.

It has also suggested that if there is no other way, then the government should limit the territory to one such wildlife viewing facility in the territory, to be operated by a non-profit organization. The government intends to have a non-profit organization operate its facility once it takes ownership this spring.

But there is no restriction in the regulations that limits the number of wildlife parks in the territory, though it calls for a full review by the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board and local renewable resource councils of any applications.

Board chair Ed Kormendy could not be reached for comment this morning.

The regulations do not apply to bison, elk or musk ox in captivity, as standards for keeping, importing and exporting those animals are governed by the territorial game farm regulations, the minister pointed out.

Kenyon said while his Yukon Party government remains opposed to hunt farms, he did acknowledge the regulations provide no guarantee that animals exported from the territory will not ultimately end up on hunt farms.

Under the legislation, owners of wildlife parks can export animals only to facilities licensed to receive such animals by another jurisdiction, such as Alberta.

What happens to an animal after it reaches another approved facility, however, is not something the government can control, Kenyon said.

He likened it to selling a used car and then trying to put restrictions on the buyer regarding to whom he or she could sell it.

The minister did say, however, that conservation officers will ensure that export applications received for jurisdictions that do approve hunt farms will be screened to ensure animals are not shipped directly from the Yukon to a hunt farm.

Wolf Reidl, vice-president of the Yukon Fish and Game Association, said this morning he was not in a position to comment on the proposed regulations as he had just received them.

'But we have been clear that anything that allows us to contribute animals to hunt farms, we are thoroughly opposed to,' he said. 'It is just like shooting fish in a barrel, so obviously there is nothing that appeals to us.'

The government, he said, could at least build in a safeguard that ensures if an animal ultimately ends up in a hunt farm regardless if it's rerouted through a non-hunt farm facility that the Yukon operator lose exporting rights.

In an interview after the press conference, Environment deputy minister Ed Hubert explained the regulations will not impact exotic species like pythons, monkeys and other animals of that type commonly sold by pet stores.

The legislation, he explained, will not apply to exotic species that could breed or survive in the Yukon if they escaped.

Kenyon emphasized the legislation requires anyone who possesses wildlife to have a permit or game guardian licence, including the child who finds a wounded bird in the yard and cares for it for overnight until it's able to fly again.

He did downplay, however, the rigidness of the law as it applies in those cases, but said 'if it was a peregrine falcon, we would certainly want to know about it.'

Enforcement of the new regulations will be assisted with seasonal deputy conservation officers the government plans to hire this summer, of whom six will be assigned to the Whitehorse area and the rest spread across the territory.

Yukoners who do come across wounded wild animals and want to care for them can apply for a game guardian permit, he said, noting they will be approved if conservation officers find they are capable of doing the work.

Staunchly prohibited under the regulations will be the import of raccoons and skunks, he said, noting the Yukon is rabies-free and the last thing it needs are skunks, which are known to be favourite hosts of rabies.

Kenyon said prohibited will be the breeding of wolves with dogs, the possession of the wolf-dog hybrids or even advertising the sale of wolf-dog hybrids, a practice that goes on currently.

Dogs and wolves aren't meant to go together, he said.

'Wolves see dogs as lunch, not lovers,' the minister said.