Ohio Considers New Laws Regarding Exotic Animals

A few weeks ago I had a dream that a tiger was coming into my window. The next day I asked the apartment manager if my windows were tiger proof and she looked at me as though I were crazy. You have to understand, I am from Ohio but have been living in Indiana since May. So imagine my surprise when hearing this story on the news. news.yahoo.com...

"Ohio has some of the most lax regulation of exotic pets, and after this disaster, it is apparent that this lack of regulation has been a threat to public safety and the welfare of the animals for too long," it said.

Just a year ago, a tiger from a place called Big Cats of Indiana had to be killed. What is wrong with people who think it is a good idea to have these creatures? I know we dislike when the government has to step in tell people what we can and can't do, but this is a problem beyond pitbulls. Tigers and lions roaming free in this country is unacceptable and in the interest of public safety, people need to stop buying exotic animals.

This picture was found on peopleofwalmart.com


This is an example of abusing the right of pursuit of happiness.

reply to post by WarminIndy

Anybody who would consider keeping one of these magnificent creatures as a "pet" cannot be deemed an animal lover.They belong in their natural habitat full stop! Unfortunately,there are those idiots who regard the keeping of exotic animals as a must have "fashion accessory" this must be outlawed,the more countries who legislate against this practice the better.

Originally posted by nake13
reply to post by WarminIndy

 

Anybody who would consider keeping one of these magnificent creatures as a "pet" cannot be deemed an animal lover.They belong in their natural habitat full stop! Unfortunately,there are those idiots who regard the keeping of exotic animals as a must have "fashion accessory" this must be outlawed,the more countries who legislate against this practice the better.

I agree. The link for the yahoo news source was displaying this on the interstate. There really is no need to have one of these as a pet. These animals were created to live in the countries where they came from. They need a lot of room to roam.

It's not really a new law, the previous governor (Strickland) drafted such a law but it languished in the Senate. This recent incident makes it imperative they pass such a law - in fact it should be nationwide, as "owning" an exotic animal in some make-shift poor excuse for a zoo all so some selfish SOB can have his exotic "pets" is nothing short of obscene.

Ohio had another incident with an exotic animal owner, where a bear mauled a teenaged caretaker for a make-shift zoo of yet another "animal lover", who also just happened to be running a bear-wrestling show too. This guy had some run-ins with the law over the quality of the care his animals received.

Caretaker dies after being mauled by bear

"(Brent) was playing inside (the bear's cage)," Mazzola said, "and then we moved outside the cage just because the bear didn't want to let him go. He kept wanting to play and then everything happened outside the enclosure."

Mazzola told Channel 3 News that he has a lion, two tigers, about thirty wolves, three coyotes and other animals at his sanctuary.

Lol, just "playing around inside a bear cage..."

And how do these nut cases keep lions, tigers, bears and wolves locked up in cages all the time, all because they "love animals"? This ain't love, it's torture.

I live in Ohio, fairly close to Zanesville, but I don't think the government should be creating new laws, just making sense out of existing laws. For those who are in favor of this law, do camels classify as exotic animals? There is a farm nearby where they have two camels, they seem to be treated fairly, they basically eat all day and lounge about. I would hate to see that farm forced to get rid of their camels just because some guy's zoo got loose.

reply to post by nake13


Wild cats make fine pets. I raised a bobcat from almost new born to adult status. I was not surprised when he refused to ever go far from my house, after I let him return to the wild. I fed him and let him do what bobcats do, whatever that is. He never stopped coming to see me, and still comes to see my Dad. He lives on his own terms but he almost always comes when I yell his name. He's a good boy.

Originally posted by Evolutionsend
reply to post by nake13

 

Wild cats make fine pets. I raised a bobcat from almost new born to adult status. I was not surprised when he refused to ever go far from my house, after I let him return to the wild. I fed him and let him do what bobcats do, whatever that is. He never stopped coming to see me, and still comes to see my Dad. He lives on his own terms but he almost always comes when I yell his name. He's a good boy.

Well that's a bit different,at least Bobcats are indigenous to your part of the world,(assuming that you are in North America of course!) I was really refering to the BIG big cats! such as Tigers,lions and panthers that some people deem it acceptable to have either chained in their gardens or cooped up in a totally unsuitable cage.

Originally posted by Evolutionsend
reply to post by nake13

 

Wild cats make fine pets. I raised a bobcat from almost new born to adult status. I was not surprised when he refused to ever go far from my house, after I let him return to the wild. I fed him and let him do what bobcats do, whatever that is. He never stopped coming to see me, and still comes to see my Dad. He lives on his own terms but he almost always comes when I yell his name. He's a good boy.

Then he really is not your pet. He is still a wild creature free to roam about the countryside. You don't keep him in a cage, as the owners of these other animals did.

Originally posted by filosophia
I live in Ohio, fairly close to Zanesville, but I don't think the government should be creating new laws, just making sense out of existing laws. For those who are in favor of this law, do camels classify as exotic animals? There is a farm nearby where they have two camels, they seem to be treated fairly, they basically eat all day and lounge about. I would hate to see that farm forced to get rid of their camels just because some guy's zoo got loose.

Only if the camels by nature pose a threat to the public. We are talking about animals that have the nature to hunt and kill because that is simply what they do. Suppose the police in your area did not shoot the tigers and lions? They would be roaming free. Would you feel comfortable then?

Would these animals also pose a threat to the indigenous deer population? Currently the deer population of the Northern states such as Ohio, Indiana and Michigan do not have tigers and lions as natural enemies. The deer population is carefully maintained by releasing wolves at certain times to hunt them and regulations about how many deer are to be shot during hunting season.

For tigers and lions to be free to roam the countryside because someone appreciates their exotic nature, they also pose a threat to farm livestock of which Ohio is dependent upon dairy production. I grew up in Ohio in farm country, so I understand the issues.

Camels and tigers...is there really a comparison in exoticity? (Like that word? I just made it up)

I have to say that there are some people who have wildcats or some other wild animals that are very well taken care of. These people have a lot of land and fenced in areas, feed them properly etc. I myself would prefer that wild animals remain in their natural habitat, but I had to throw that out there.

Originally posted by Night Star
I have to say that there are some people who have wildcats or some other wild animals that are very well taken care of. These people have a lot of land and fenced in areas, feed them properly etc. I myself would prefer that wild animals remain in their natural habitat, but I had to throw that out there.

I think people do not realize how much territory the bobcat actually needs...

The sizes of bobcat's home ranges vary significantly; a World Conservation Union (IUCN) summary of research suggests ranges anywhere from 0.02 to 126 sq mi (0.052 to 330 km2).[23] One study in Kansas found resident males to have roughly an 8 sq mi (21 km2) range and females less than half that area. Transient bobcats were found to have both a larger (roughly 22 sq mi/57 km2) and less well-defined home range. Kittens had the smallest range at about 3 sq mi (7.8 km2).[26] Research has shown that dispersal from the natal range is most pronounced with males.[27]

I don't think a property of several hundred acres is enough for bobcat territory. You are right, they need to be in their natural habitat.

Reply to post by WarminIndy

Ahh yes. Giving up freedom for safety.







Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh
Reply to post by WarminIndy

 

Ahh yes. Giving up freedom for safety.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

I don't know about you but I like my freedom of walking in safety over your right to keep exotic animals that get loose. There is no freedom without safety. I don't like being bound so other people can run around waving "freedom flags". That is against my right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Thank you for taking my rights away.

Reply to post by WarminIndy

You have every right to walk around.

It is up to you to protect yourself, not the government.

You want the government to impose on the rights of others so that you can feel safe.

The right thing to do would be to make the law so that if someone's safety is threatened (really threatened, not perceived threat), then the owner should face punishment.

This gives freedom to all.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh
Reply to post by WarminIndy

 

You have every right to walk around.

It is up to you to protect yourself, not the government.

I should not have to worry about my protection but unfortunately that is not realistic in this country. But we have laws for a reason and it is protect the citizens. What if those animals did injure someone, would we not take the government to task for not protecting that citizen?

I do not feel that my rights of life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness has been infringed by the government, but it has been infringed by criminals who feel they have the right to invade my home or steal my car. If we don't help our neighbors, then who is left to help?

reply to post by WarminIndy


You tell him he's not my pet. He doesn't want to go too far from his home.

reply to post by WarminIndy


0.2 square miles isn't much, but 128 square miles is. My baby that I raised is never more than a few miles from the house that he grew up in. It seems that the habitat required is mainly based on food availability. In fact, he likes to hunt in the field at night. He does wear a bright orange collar with tags on it so that no hunters will kill him. It doesn't seem to bother him.

The people that pull the teeth out of exotic cats and lock them in cages are bad. I used to help out with a rescue organization that tried to rehabilitate exotic animals that were mistreated. They had a lot of cats with no front teeth, or no teeth at all. They pull them out because exotic cats like to nibble like a puppy, and they have no idea how to make them stop. Even after being mistreated and hurt by humans, these wild animals were still affectionate and loved people. One particular cat had all of her teeth removed, and she would nibble and then pull her head back expecting to get hit. She only knew that she had to use her mouth to return our affection, even if it meant being hit. Animals have mouths, humans have hands. When an exotic cat nibbles your hand it means they want to hold your hand.

Some legislation even requires that they be removed. Talk about animal cruelty.

I don't think people should keep exoctic pets for their own selfishness, and I do think it's selfish, because tigers and bears are a wild animal that should be out in the forest; not confined to a small pen. I just watched a long documentary on this last night and in the majority of cases, someone ends up dying. One lady bred her tigers and had about 27 when her husband was almost killed by one. The poor man would go out and try to find road kill to feed them. It's an expensive hobby that usually ends in tragedy and these people love their animals so much, they will do anything to keep them. I think these are people that seldom have strong relationships outside the security of their own home.

Tigers are such beautiful, majestic creatures, but there is no safe way to keep them without locking them up for life. Even though I love them with a passion, I would not obtain one. Once they are raised in captivity, they can't be introduced into the wild, so it's not at all helping the genetic pool or increasing the population as one woman believed.

Wow, I was watching one tiger owner, Steve Hawkes, that had first tried out for the part of Tarzan, and he's got some absolutely beautiful tigers. Although I do think he will come closer than anyone to living with tigers, because he understands the mind of the tiger. He admitted to loving them more than his son. There is such a strong passion there that I think these people would rather die than give up their animals and many times they have ended up dying. I guess there's something about tigers, lol. I'll have to settle for the dometicated, little felines, but I do love the Bengals.

Originally posted by Evolutionsend
reply to post by WarminIndy

 

0.2 square miles isn't much, but 128 square miles is. My baby that I raised is never more than a few miles from the house that he grew up in. It seems that the habitat required is mainly based on food availability. In fact, he likes to hunt in the field at night. He does wear a bright orange collar with tags on it so that no hunters will kill him. It doesn't seem to bother him.

The people that pull the teeth out of exotic cats and lock them in cages are bad. I used to help out with a rescue organization that tried to rehabilitate exotic animals that were mistreated. They had a lot of cats with no front teeth, or no teeth at all. They pull them out because exotic cats like to nibble like a puppy, and they have no idea how to make them stop. Even after being mistreated and hurt by humans, these wild animals were still affectionate and loved people. One particular cat had all of her teeth removed, and she would nibble and then pull her head back expecting to get hit. She only knew that she had to use her mouth to return our affection, even if it meant being hit. Animals have mouths, humans have hands. When an exotic cat nibbles your hand it means they want to hold your hand.

Some legislation even requires that they be removed. Talk about animal cruelty.

edit on 21-10-2011 by Evolutionsend because: (no reason given)

I know a guy that has a cougar in a huge, round pen. The cougar has never known freedom, so he doesn't know any different, but he's well taken care of. They can live up to 30 years in captivity, so the guy can never go anywhere for long. He's worried the cat will outlive him, lol.

Originally posted by filosophia
I live in Ohio, fairly close to Zanesville, but I don't think the government should be creating new laws, just making sense out of existing laws. For those who are in favor of this law, do camels classify as exotic animals? There is a farm nearby where they have two camels, they seem to be treated fairly, they basically eat all day and lounge about. I would hate to see that farm forced to get rid of their camels just because some guy's zoo got loose.

camels were domesticated thousands of years ago.
so there would only be a problem if there is animal cruelty.

same with alpacas, chickens and other domesticated animals.

raising wild animals in cages should be illegal, it is ecologically destructive.
zoos with tens of millions to spend have a hard time with vet bills, and often fail to provide minimum required facilities.
elephants housed in barns in canadian winters don't belong there.

camels can thrive in most any climate, other animals can't.

if the rights of the individual are such that there is no limit to how much of a ##thead a human can be, only stupid humans will live on this planet soon.
the other species will all be gone in the wild, or genetically deteriorating in the hands of idiots.

and do the other citizens living in a community have no rights?
most people don't want 300 lbs cats in their neighborhoods.

a major earthquake or hurricane could free these dangerous animals in a disaster event.