Chap. 362.—An ACT to provide for the protection of domestic animals, and to
authorize and empower the board of control of the experiment station of the
Virginia agricultural and mechanical college at Blacksburg to establish live
stock quarantine lines, rules, and regulations, and to prescribe penalties
for violating the same.

Approved February 18, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That it shall
be the duty of the board of control of the experiment station of the
Virginia agricultural and mechanical college at Blacksburg to pro-
tect the domestic animals of this state from all contagious or infec-
tious diseases of a malignant character, whether said diseases exist
in the state or elsewhere, and for this purpose they are hereby au-
thorized and empowered to establish, maintain, and enforce such
quarantine lines and sanitary rules and regulations as they may
deem necessary. It shall also be the duty of said board to co-operate
with live stock quarantine commissioners and officers of other states
and territories, and with the United States secretary of agriculture
in establishing such interstate quarantine lines, rules, and regula-
tions as shall best protect the live stock industry of this state
against Texas or splenetic fever. It shall be the duty of said board,
upon receipt by it of reliable information of the existence among
the domestic animals of the state of any malignant disease, to cause
the veterinarian employed at said experiment station to go at once
to the place where any such disease is alleged to exist and make a
careful examination of the animals believed to be affected with any
such disease, and ascertain, if possible, what, if any, disease exists
among the live stock reported to be affected, and whether the same
is contagious or infectious; and if said disease is found to be of a
malignant, contagious or infectious character they shall direct and
enforce such quarantine lines and sanitary regulations as are neces-
sary to prevent the spread of any such disease. And no domestic
animal infected with disease, or capable of communicating the same,
shall be permitted to enter or leave the district, premises or grounds
go quarantined, except by authority of the said board or its veteri-
narian. The said board shall also from time to time give and en-
force such directions and prescribe such rules and regulations as to
separating, feeding, and caring for such diseased and exposed ani-
mals as they shall deem necessary to prevent the animals so affected
with such disease, or capable of communicating disease, from coming
in contact with other animals not so affected. And the said board
and its veterinarian are hereby authorized and empowered to
enter upon any grounds or premises to carry out the provisions of
this act.

2. When the said board shall have determined the quarantine
lines and other regulations necessary to prevent the spread among
domestic animals of this state of any malignant, contagious or
infectious disease found to exist among the live stock of this
state or elsewhere, and given their orders as hereinbefore provided,
prescribing quarantine and other regulations, they shall notify
the governor of the state, who shall issue his proclamation, pro-
claiming the boundary of such quarantine around such diseased
stock, and the orders, rules and regulations prescribed by the board ;
and said board shall give such notice as to it may seem best to make
the quarantine established by them effective.

3. The said board shall have power to carry into full effect all
orders by them given, as hereinbefore provided, and the expense in-
curred by it shall be paid out of the treasury of the state on warrants
drawn by the chairman of said board; provided that no expense
shall be incurred except such as may be necessary to carry into
effect the necessary quarantine and other regulations prescribed by
said board. And said board shall have the power to direct the vete-
rinarian employed at said experiment station to assist it in the
investigation of the diseases amongst the live stock of this state
whenever they may deem his services necessary; provided that no
compensation shall be paid said veterinarian other than his actual
expenses while engaged in such duties.

4. When the said board shall have good reason to believe that the
health of the live stock of the state is endangered by the existence
of contagious and infectious diseases in certain localities in other
states, territories or counties, or that there are conditions which
render such domestic animals from such infected districts liable to
convey such disease, they shall notify the governor, who shall by
proclamation prohibit the importation of any live stock of the kind
diseased into the state, unless accompanied by a certificate of health
given by a properly authorized veterinarian, and all such animals
arriving in this state shall be examined immediately by a veteri-
narian designated by the board, and if in his opinion there is any
danger from contagion or infection, they shall be placed in close
quarantine at the expense of the owner until such danger of infec-
tion or contagion is passed, when they shall be released by order of
the said veterinarian.

5. It shall be the duty of the railway corporations doing business
in the state to cleanse and disinfect the cars used by them in trans-
porting live stock in or through this state at such times and places,
and in such manner as the board may designate, whenever, in the
Opinion of the board, any such order may be necessary to prevent
the spread of infectious or contagious disease. Any such corpora-
tion violating the provisions of this section shall be liable to a pen-
alty of five hundred dollars for each offence, to be recovered in acivil
action to be prosecuted under the direction of the attorney-general
in the name of the commonwealth of Virginia.

6. Any railroad company, navigation company, or other corpora-
tion or common carrier, who shall knowingly or willfully violate,
disregard or evade any of the rules or directions of the board or vet-
erinarian, establishing or governing quarantine, or who shall evade,
or attempt to evade, any quarantine proclamation of the governor of
this state declaring quarantine limits, upon convictiun thereof shall
be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thou-
sand dollars for each and every offence, and shall be liable for all
damages caused to any live stock by its failure to comply with
the requirements of this act.
7. It shall be the duty of any owner or person in charge of any
domestic animal or animals, who discovers, suspects, or has reason
to believe that any of his domestic animals, or domestic animals in
his charge, are affected with any contagious or infectious disease, to
immediately report such fact, belief or suspicion to the said board
and to the chairman of the board of supervisors of the county in
which said domestic animals are found.

8. The board of supervisors of each county, whenever any cases of
contagious or infectious diseases are reported to them in their county,
shall immediately investigate the same. The investigation may be
by the board or any member thereof, or by the employment of a
qualified veterinarian; and should such investigation show a rea-
sonable probability that a domestic animal is affected with a conta-
gious or infectious disease, the supervisors sball immediately estab-
lish such temporary quarantine as may be necesgary to prevent the
spread of the disease, and report all action taken to the said board
of control of experiment station of the Virginia agricultural and
mechanical college at Blacksburg, or some member thereof; and the
acts of the supervisors establishing temporary quarantine shall have
the same force and effect as though established by thegboard of con-
trol itself until such time as the said board of control shall take
charge of the case or cases. All expenses incurred by the supervi-
sors 1n carrying out the provisions of this act shall be paid in like
manner as other expenses incurred by said supervisors in the dis-
charge of their official] duties.

9. Any person who shall knowingly bring into this state any do-
mestic animal which is infected with any contagious or infectious
disease, or any animal which has been exposed to any contagious or
infectious disease, or which bears upon its body fever-ticks or other
germs or causes of disease, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in any sum not less than
five hundred nor more than five thousand dollars.

10. Any person who owns or is in possession of live stock which
is reported to be affected with any infectious or contagious disease,
or with insects which may produce disease, who shall refuse to allow
said board, or any one acting under its order, to examine such stock,
or shall hinder or obstruct the said board or appointee in any exami-
nation of, or in any attempt to examine, such stock, shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined
in any sum not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five
hundred dollars. ,

11. Any person who shall have in his possession any domestic
animal affected with any contagious or infectious disease or fever-
ticks, knowing such animals to be affected, who shall permit such
animal to run at large, or who shall keep such animal where other
domestic animals not affected by or previously exposed to such dis-
ease may be exposed to its contagion or infection, or who shall ship,
drive, sell, trade, or give away such diseased animal or animals
which have been exposed to such infection or contagion, or who shall
move or drive any domestic animal in violation of any direction,
rule, regulation or order of the board of control, establishing and
regulating live-stock quarantine, shall be deemed guilty of a misde-
meanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in any sum not
less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars
for each of such exposed or diseased domestic animals which he
shall permit to run at large or sell, ship, drive, trade, or give away
in violation of the provisions of this act: provided that any owner
of domestic animals which have been affected with or exposed to
any contagious or infectious disease may dispose of the same after
having obtained from the said board or veterinary surgeon a bill of
health for such animal or animals.

12. The said board shall have power to call upon any sheriff or
deputy sheriff, or constable, to execute their orders, and such officer
shall obey the orders of said board, and the officer or officers per-
forming these duties shall each be entitled to one dollar and fifty
cents per day for himself and horse, which payment shall be made
upon & sworn account, approved by said board, provided said ex-
penses under this section shall not exceed in any event five hundred
dollars per annum.

13. Except as otherwise provided in this act, any person who shall
violate, disrggard, or evade, or attempt to violate, disregard, or evade,
any of its provisions, or who shall violate, disregard, or evade, or
attempt to violate, disregard, or evade, any of the rules, regulations,
orders, or directions of the said board establishing and governing
quarantine, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon con-
viction thereof shall be fined in any sum not less than one hundred
dollars nor more than five hundred dollars.

14. Be it further enacted, That the disease known as tuberculosis
shall be classed as a highly contagious and infectious disease, and
such measures shall be taken by the board and its authorized vete-
rinarian as tothem may seem necessary to eradicate and prevent the
spread of said disease.

15. This act shall not be construed to repeal any law now in force
for the protection of domestic animals.

16. This act shall be in force from its passage.