United States                 Animal and
             Department of                Plant Health
             Agriculture                     Inspection Service
 
 
Clarification of Hybrid Animal Crosses --
Animal Welfare
                                                                                      Date: FEB 21 1985
Area Veterinarians in Charge, VS
Directors, VS Regions
Animal Care Specialists, VS
Several years ago a memorandum clarifying the status of hybrid crosses between
wild and domestic animals under the Animal Welfare Act was issued.  The
memorandum is apparently no longer available and did not receive wide
distribution.  This memorandum is therefore being issued in order to clarify
the status of hybrid crosses.
All hybrid crosses between wild and domestic animals, such as wolf x dog, cat
x Jungle cat, buffalo x domestic cattle, etc., are considered to be domestic
animals.  Thus, a wolf x dog cross is considered to be a dog and must be
maintained under the dog standards if it is a regulated animal.  Any cross
between two wild animals is still considered to be a wild animal (i.e., wolf x
coyote, tiger x lion, etc.).  This distinction should be kept in mind when
applying the standards during inspection or determining if licensing is
required or not.
/s/ R Rissler
R. L. Rissler
Assistant Director
Animal Health Programs
Veterinary Services
APHIS - Protecting American Agriculture