SOURCE: The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

Thursday, August 9, 2007
Editorial

Lawless exotics

State should monitor booming population of non-native animals

The July 28 happy reunion of a Powell teenager and her small pet alligator, who escaped from inadequate restraints, drew renewed attention to Ohio's need to regulate exotic animals.

Powell is among Ohio cities with laws placing restrictions on the ownership of creatures considered out of the ordinary. Powell requires registration of an exotic species; proper confinement, subject to inspection of the animal's housing; and notification within an hour of such an animal's escape.

But local ordinances vary widely, ranging from Columbus' ban on constricting snakes longer than 12 feet, venomous reptiles and arthropods to Hilliard's law against keeping bees, reptiles and typical farm livestock to Westerville's prohibition of "wild, dangerous or undomesticated" animals of the type "usually confined to a zoological park or exotic-animal farm."

Officials in these and other communities have begun to address the potential problems posed by housing atypical pets. But in doing so, they have blanketed the state with a hodgepodge of regulations that can catch animal owners by surprise, as Christina Tolley, who temporarily lost 3-pound alligator Irwin, learned. Christina's father, Dave, faces three misdemeanor charges.

He never saw that coming. After all, people easily buy alligators and other exotics at pet stores and elsewhere in and out of state. Sellers rarely, if ever, warn buyers to check local regulations before taking home the spooky tarantula or cute bearded dragon in the window. A growing industry feeds the public's interest in raising nontraditional pets.

State laws are hopelessly outdated, requiring permits of anyone wishing to keep a wild animal considered native to Ohio. Thus, 130 Ohioans have registered their black bears with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. But the state subjects owners of lions, alligators and other exotics to virtually no regulation.

Last year, an Ashtabula County woman was mauled by a 500-pound bear that escaped from a neighbor's pen. Many people are poorly trained to care for such animals. Some irresponsible owners release their pets into the wild. Species not native to Ohio can upset the ecosystem, damaging the environment in their competition with native species for food.

State Rep. George L. Distel, D-Conneaut, is pushing legislation that would require all Ohioans to register exotic and dangerous animals and to submit to annual inspections of their housing, among other rules.

Lawmakers ignored such a bill last year. Perhaps the heartwarming case of the alligator returned to his owner at last will move the General Assembly to support this much-needed legislation.