Ohio Exotic Animals Ban To Fix 'Entirely Unacceptable' Lack Of Laws

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A state legislator said Wednesday that he hopes a bill that would ban new ownership of exotic pets will prevent situations such as the one in eastern Ohio last year that led to 48 animals being shot to death after their suicidal owner let them loose.

In a prepared statement for the first hearing on the bill, Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson said he crafted the proposal after meeting with animal professionals, pet owners and animal welfare groups.

"The goals ... are simple: To protect our citizens, to preserve legitimate, law-abiding individuals who care for wild animals and to put standards in place to ensure the safety of these animals," he said.

The bill was getting its first hearing before a Senate committee following its introduction last week. Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets.

Balderson is from Zanesville, near the farm where a man released dozens of wild animals before killing himself in October. Authorities fatally shot most of the pets to protect residents.

"This terrible incident brought to light this fact: Ohio has no laws to govern the ownership of animals such as lions, tigers and primates. When considering the safety of our neighbors and the standards of care we offer to our animals, it is quite clear how this is entirely unacceptable," he said.

The bill would ban new ownership of exotic animals, allowing current owners to keep their pets by obtaining a permit by 2014. They'd be required to pass a background check, obtain insurance, microchip their pets and show that they adhere to care standards and have taken safety measures, such as fencing property. Zoos, circuses, sanctuaries and research facilities would be exempt.

The bill has been criticized by the nonprofit Ohio Association of Animal Owners, which says it opposes plans to "eradicate" exotic animals form the state and believes residents should have the right to own, breed, sell and exhibit animals as long as they are properly housed and cared for.

The measure has the support of Republican Gov. John Kasich and the Columbus Zoo. The head of the Humane Society of the United States has said the measure would be a vast improvement for Ohio but had concerns over certain exemptions and snake ownership rules.

The bill would let owners of constricting and venomous snakes keep their reptiles, but they must have safety plans in place in case the snakes got out. Owners could still breed and acquire new snakes.

"I believe that the restrictions placed on snake owners in this bill are sufficient to ensure public safety, but also allow this very large industry to continue in Ohio," Balderson said.

Comments

[Eleke]

01:46 AM on 05/09/2012

You look at their definition of snakes that are banned, and while it does include venomous snakes (that I agree are incredibly dangerous and I would rather only those trained and licensed to keep them be able to own them), 'constrictive' snakes are also on the banned list. The snakes considered dangerous? Corn snakes, ball pythons, and red-tailed boas. Snakes that only grow large enough to hunt rats are considered 'dangerous exotics.' And let me tell you as both a snake keeper and an Ohio resident - if one of those species ever got out of their enclosures, they'd survive three months maximum. The climate is too rough for them, or they'd make a great snack for a stray or yarded dog.

I can see their reasoning, but they're going way too far.

[rlmyrtlb]

12:26 PM on 04/24/2012

OldWolf is, we believe, correct in this. I do not thnk mountain lions are anywhere near the social primate that we are, yet..........
George Adamson says it best. "A lion is not a lion if it is only free to eat, to sleep and to copulate. It deserves to be free to hunt and to choose its own prey; to look for and find its own mate; to fight for and hold its own territory; and to die where it was born---in the wild. It should have the same rights as we have."

So there, Ted Nugent, you dirty minded animal that kills for sport........you're a p---k!

[noname78]

10:26 AM on 04/14/2012

I think what a lot of people are failing to see here is the fact that most of these animals were probably the product of the illegal animal trade, that took them straight from their natural habitates and placed in a small backyard or residential home. The lack of exotic animal laws across the country is sad and I think this is a step in the right direction. However, exempting sanctuaries could pose a problem because there is no set definition on what a sanctuary could be considered. The man from Ohio was "running" a wildlife sanctuary and those animals were kept in horrible conditions, not comparable to a sanctuary at all. I think what this all comes down to is the need for more animal education, your average person does not have the resources or knowledge that it takes to properly care for the majority of exotic pets and it's sad that many people choose to purchase them solely for status or bragging rights.

[countrygirl2012]

09:49 AM on 04/12/2012

"I think most of you are under the misconception that this bill grandfathers current owners, but this is far from the truth. Many of the requirements for the permits in this bill cannot be met or will be prohibitively expensive. No private owner will be able to keep their animals as this bill is written. In the end this will be a bigger massacre than Zanesville!

[oldwolf49]

01:57 AM on 03/16/2012

I quit going to zoos a long time ago I just couldn't justify looking at animals like that when I lived "free". A friend had a mountain lion she raised from a cub when I lived in Alaska and a neighbor poisoned her (the cat) because he said it wasn't god's way to have something like that as a pet. He was wrong and paid dearly for it but so was she, I guess.

[artleads]

11:57 PM on 03/15/2012

That face sure reminds me of African sculpture.

[oldwolf49]

01:54 AM on 03/16/2012

Agreed.

[kareemachan]

12:22 PM on 03/15/2012

'Authorities fatally shot most of the pets to protect residents.'

No, most of the animals were standing around near their cages, not dangerous at all. The cops got carried away.

Be that as it may, I hope this bill passes.

[Just4theHalibut]

11:46 AM on 03/15/2012

"sanctuaries and research facilities would be exempt". That worries me a bit. They need to put in a careful definition of what those terms mean. Otherwise "yeah, I'm giving all these exotic pumas sanctuary from their enemies" or "I'm conducting research on the mating habits of giraffes, you betcha".

[TomKi]

05:17 PM on 04/12/2012

Hey, giving the pumas sanctuary from their enemies is actually on the top of my list of right things for humans to do. It is quite literally a good reason to keep them.

[karen lyons kalmenson]

05:27 AM on 03/15/2012

wild is as wild does
tis not a stuffed toy
all cuddles and fuzz
leave them to their
own habitats
go to an animal
shelter
if you want a
dog or cat!!!!

[snewell]

01:07 AM on 03/15/2012

THIS IS GREAT NEWS-EXOTIC PET OWNERS SHOULD BE IMPRISONED AND FINED. I NEVER UNDERSTOOD HOW SOMEONE CAN SAY THEY LOVE AN ANIMAL YET THEY WANT TO POSSESS THEM

[nomadrdw]

02:14 PM on 03/15/2012

and people that have no concept of what they are talking about should be imprisoned on a desert island where they can no longer harm anyone. exotic animals also include tropical aquarium fish, small tropical frogs and other animals that are totally harmless.
many of the animals in my collection are now extinct in the wild, their home's destroyed by people that had no concept of what they were talking about,or the habitat they were destroying.
i would much rather that creature exist in my home than be extinct for all time.

[noname78]

10:34 AM on 04/14/2012

I think the one point you are missing is that many of those tropical frogs and reptiles have been illegally brought to this country by any means necessary just to make a profit. By purchasing them you are actually contributing to their habitat destruction and the overall decline in the species itself. Please make sure you do thorough research before purchasing any animal, exotic or not.

Also, if you would have read the article more carefully you would have seen that the bill would allow current owners to keep their animals if they purchase a permit by 2014, I don't think that is asking too much and if you truly care for your animals and wish the best for them, you would go out and get the permit

[Lindsgrace33]

09:36 PM on 03/14/2012

Good. It's about time.

[bcmom]

09:23 PM on 03/14/2012

The one and only reason to ban exotic pets are they are wild animals and cannot be domesticated.

[countrygirl2012]

10:00 AM on 04/12/2012

Humans have been domesticating animals for many thousands of years. All today's domestic animals had wild anestors.

Responsible private ownership of wild and captive bred exotics is possible due to the wealth of animal care information available.

[TomKi]

11:47 AM on 04/12/2012

They do quite well in captivity. "Domesticated" is not a meaningful term anymore because the animal rights cultists who have an extinction agenda insist on changing the definition to suit them.

[MzKimi2U]

04:51 PM on 03/14/2012

Now if only the rest of the country will adopt the exotic animal ban, we would all be for the better! Untrained, foolish people should not be allowed to keep such dangerous animals.

[nomadrdw]

02:18 PM on 03/15/2012

not all exotics are harmful, and these bans don't differentiate.
untrained uninformed foolish people do far far more harm with laws that are not informed. zoo's don't want people owning animals they make a living off of, the humane society of America is anything but, they are part of PETA, which has the single goal of cutting off all human contact with the animal world. no pets, no guard animals, no service animals, no food animals.

[DebbyM]

10:25 AM on 03/17/2012

So apparently you are more concerned about your right to have whatever you want, then you are about the welfare of these animals?

[TomKi]

11:50 AM on 04/12/2012

Untrained, uninformed, foolish, and malicious people want the ban laws. The same people would kill your baby if they could, to cure "human overpopulation." Then they vandalize our homes and set them on fire if we try to preserve the species that they claim we are harming.