Exotic animal owner's under attack in Ohio!!

Reposted with permission from my friend and exotic animal owner, George Krause. Saved me a lot of typing

In Ohio we are dealing with a major crisis at this very moment. The tragedy that ultimately ended in the death of over 50 exotic animals has fueled the fire for animal rights groups to place bans on private exotic animal ownership in Ohio. I am an exotic animal owner. I do everything by the book. I have my permits, and my exotics have the best of the best as far as their living space, diet and enrichment, and much much love and attention. I do agree there are those that do not have the experience or knowledge needed to own these animals. It does take a lot of experience, patience and know how to raise an exotic pet. I have studied exotic animals as well as domestic animals for over 20 years now. I have one bobcat and a muntjac deer. We raised our bobcat from 4 weeks of age as well as our deer. He is our baby and looks to us as his parents. Exotic animals such as bobcats have very high intelligence levels. They are absolutely not an animal for everyone, but for those who have the experience and knowledge there is nothing more rewarding than coming home each day and being greeted at the door by a 50 pound bobcat jumping into your arms and licking your face and purring like a freight train, so happy to see you, and playing to no end , following you everywhere you go, and falling asleep in the crook of your arms every night.

We are facing a major challenge right now to keep our rights to own these beautiful animals. I do agree that in Ohio our laws are lacking in how easy it is to obtain an exotic pet. I counsel people every day in exotic ownership. I volunteer and charge nothing to help out anyone interested in owning an exotic pet. I have probably talked more people out of owning an exotic pet than those that have decided that an exotic is the right match for them. It is a challenge every single day, but there is nothing more rewarding in my book than exotic ownership. Our right to own is being threatened by the Animal rights groups right now. They are proposing laws that will prohibit the buying and selling of exotic animals, and the ownership of them as well. There is the possibility that even the people that already own exotics will have theirs taken away. If this happens and people's exotics are taken away they will be put down. Most if not all of the exotic sanctuaries in Ohio are full. So the only option is that they will be put down. I have followed all of the laws pertaining to exotic ownership. I have my permit. I have a secure home with double door entries at all doorways to prevent escapes and I have a large enclosure that our animals can go in and out of at will. There are irresponsible exotic owners, just like irresponsible domestic animal owners. I agree that new regulations should be in order to weed out the irresponsible owners, but a complete ban is just uncalled for and unfair to us responsible owners.

I have done some research on animal attacks and bites in the United States over the past 10 years and the results are pretty alarming. Statistics do not lie and the findings are quite alarming. My statistics and information came from The National Safety Council. Here are their findings

In the U.S. each year there are more than 4.7 million dog bites and attacks. Over 30 of those are fatal. Most domestic dog attacks are those dogs that are chained up on too short of chains, or those who break their chains. Studies prove that dogs that are chained are many more times likely to be mal-adjusted and mean tempered. In many cases of dog bites and attacks nothing is done. No charges filed and nothing done to the owners. Dog bites range from simple puncture wounds, to major lacerations, to dismemberment and death to the victims. There are leash laws in many states and cities across the U.S. but rarely are owners charged, warned or convicted of any wrongdoing when their dogs are not properly contained. People that fall victim to dog bites and attacks are very likely to suffer not only physical injuries but mental and emotional scars that last a lifetime. On a side note, I had a student two years ago that was visiting a friend and got mauled by the friend's dog. She has endured two surgeries to reconstruct her nose and part of her face. Nothing was ever done to the owners and they still own the dog. I had to fence in our yard with a foot wooden privacy fence to prevent my neighbors pit bull from killing our dogs because our neighbor keeps his pit bull on a 6 foot chain, and the dog is constantly breaking the chain. The dog gets no attention. It is naturally mean and will attack anything that it sees. The police have done nothing to stop this.

Statistics show that we are 400 times more likely to be killed by a horse than by an exotic animal. Deaths by captive pet bears per year are .125% less than one person per year. Deaths by reptiles are 1 person per year. Deaths by captive large cats such as tigers and lions, cougars and such are less than one per year. On an average over the last 20 years 3 people per year are killed by exotic animals in the U.S. compared to that of over 30 domestic dogs alone.

Random death statistics that have nothing to do with exotic animals, 11 people per year are killed by fireworks, 26 by floods, 32 by earthquakes, 47 by lightening, 66 by hornets, bees and wasps, 75 by storms, 417 by falling off of ladders, and 515 by drowning, 715 by discharged firearms, 742 by air and space travel, 926 by all terrain vehicles, 1225 by drowning, 3676 by riding motorcycles, and over 44,000 by car accidents.

Statistics prove that less than 3 people are killed by exotic animals each year, most of those being the larger predators like lions, tigers, bears and large reptiles. In my findings no one has ever been killed by a bobcat, African Serval, or Caracal, which are all smaller species of wildcats.

I believe these statistics speak for themselves. There are many more irresponsible domestic animal owners than that of exotic animal owners. A complete ban, and for our exotic animals to be taken away from us would be absurd. My animals pose no danger to any of the public. I believe that if a person has the training and hands on experience with exotics there should be no reason that they should be denied that right to own the animal that they want. With the larger animals like the lions, tigers, bears.....The training obviously should be more extensive. An exotic animal needs adequate space to live in, as far as their enclosure, and indoor living space. I have been at some zoos where tigers are living in spaces not suitable for such large animals. A good example of that is the zoo in the large city north of Canton. (not mentioning the name) There are four tigers in an enclosure suitable for a small cat like a bobcat or Serval. In my book that is not acceptable. That is one reason that more regulations need to be put in place. The other reason is that a lot of people just think it woul be cool to own an exotic pet like a bobcat, but as they grow and mature they find that they cannot handle their behaviors. Training and education would prepare individuals for what they are going to encounter as exotic animal owners. Too many exotic animals are in shelters because of this very reason. People find that they just cannot handle the behaviors, or the breeders that they bought them from sugar coated what they would be like.

I love owning my bobcat. He is a challenge every day, but I have a lot of experience, and am prepared for his behaviors and know how to handle any situation that should arise that could be a problem. Our bobcat is gentle and friendly and very sociable, and that is because of our experience with exotc animals.

WHen there is one incident with exotic animals, the animal rights groups fight as hard as they can to place bans on them. This is not right or fair. In my opinion the focus should be placed on more important things like the 4.7 million dog attacks that happen each year, and over 30 deaths by domestic dogs. Exotic animals are not the problem, and that is proven by the statistics. I think that people do not know very much at all about exotic animals and just think they are wild killers, which is not the case at all. No one has the right to decide anything about exotics unless they know exotics. 99% of people do not know anything about exotics except from what they read in the paper about an isolated incident or what they see at the zoo. Exotic animals are the most loving caring, and intelligent animals that love their owners. I ask anyone who is unfamiliar with exotics to visit an exotic sanctuary or an owner with an exotic animal and form your own opinion. Don't just form it from what you read. Like I said I counsel prospective owners everyday on exotic ownership and am happy to speak to anyone that has any questions about exotic pets. Please dont let our government take away another one of our rights. Slowly our rights are being taken away one by one. Thanks for reading and sorry for such a long letter, but the message is so important, and the statistics are the most important to remember.

Those are not "his" statistics, but the statistics from the National Safety Council. However, I understand what you are saying. But, the point is this. Banning and eliminating exotic ownership is not going to make anyone more safe, since there are far far fewer exotic owners than there are people who own domestic animals. You will still have a large amount of people being injured and or killed by other so called "domestic" animals suchs as dogs, horses etc. Now, I as well as other exotic animal owners, are not calling for any type of ban on these other animals. This is just to prove, there are other dangers out in the world that are FAR greater and more of a threat, than responsible people who own exotics. I laugh at times, when people tell me, "you should not be owning a wild animal". I say really?? Then why are people allowed to have horses?? Horses run free and wild in this country!! And horses can bite, kick and are known for killing or seriously injuring peopl. But the fact is, these animals are NOT wild, since they have been born and raised in captivity for generations now. This is why the term "exotic" is used. I can say I own wild cats, but this is not 100% true, since they were not born in the wild for generations. But to say my cats are domesticated is not entirely true either. So the term exotic is used. In reality, the cats I own are native to this country and the state that I live in, so they are not exotic. Some people own cats such as African Servals, Eurasian Lynx, Caracals, Tigers, Lions and or reptiles not native to this country. Those animals fit the definition of exotic. But the term exotic now describes animals that are not the typical "domesticated" animal/pet.

I am asking everyone, no matter where you live, to call the governor's office. If they ask where you live and if you do not live in Ohio, they may tell you that they are only taking comments from Ohio residents. If they say that, then ask them, WHY ARE THEY LETTING HSUS TELL THEM WHAT TO DO?? HSUS is NOT a tax paying resident of Ohio and should have NO say in this period. All you have to say is that you do NOT support this ban. It is unfair and many animals will DIE if it goes through. So much for HSUS caring for animals!! They are pushing for this ban, so that means they support the killing of animals. Do I have hope?? I try to have hope, but the only way I can gain hope is through the support of ALL animal owners/lovers.

Well, I will only have 2 choices if this ban goes through without a grandfather clause allowing me to keep my animals for their lifetime.

1) Keep them, but go underground and then become an illegal owner, because NO ONE and I mean NO ONE, is going to take my animals, especially since this is a ban being forced on us by HSUS.

2) Move to another state. What a joy. Have to quit my job that I have had for 17 years, find a new job and try to buy a new home/property for my cats, build new enclosures, all at my own expense. So much for living in a free country right? Where one has to be forced to make these moves because of an AR terrorist group? I wonder if I could get HSUS to pay for all of this??

Thank you for your support. I, as well as ALL exotic owner's, are fighting this hard. It's hard to say what will come of this. We have not seen the actual bill as of yet. But as it stands right now, the governor of Ohio wants ALL exotics "disposed of" after Jan 1st 2014. This also includes animals living at USDA licensed facilities and sanctuaries. Only AZA licensed facilities will be able to keep them (zoos). All these animals will not be able to go to sanctuaries outside of Ohio. Some yes, but not all. So this means certain death for many many animals.

Thank you everyone for your support. This means the world to us. Having support from non exotic owners does help believe me. You are a HUGE help. So far, a bill has not yet been introduced. We are thinking it will be mid January or a little later. One we know the wording of the bill, we can get to work from there. But all calls to the Governor's office....please keep it up. We need him to know that this ban is uncalled for and that there is NO emergency in Ohio regarding exotic animals.
Just for information. Since the start of the new year, there have been 3 shootings in northeast Ohio. 2 in Cleveland and 1 in Canton. And they say exotic animals are a safety threat to society!! REALLY???? This does not mean I am calling for a ban on guns. It's just to point out that there are other problems in this state and country that need to be taken care of, not exotic animal ownership.

HB 352 is actually a bill that was prematurely written before the stakeholder meetings were complete. We believe the new bill will be in the senate SB, but as of yet, have not heard when. It may be in the middle of this month or later. If we are lucky, maybe they won't do anything and just let this all die out. 

Just F.Y.I. it is believed a bill will be introduced in the Ohio senate at the beginning of February. Don't know what is/will be in it yet, but I will post as soon as I get the information. One thing is for sure, a WAR is about to begin in Ohio.

An update on the Ohio (HSUS) encouraged bill. The bill was supposed to have a sponsor hearing this week, but has been delayed. Not sure why, some say it is not complete yet, but I also heard there was a dispute between the Senator introducing the bill and the Governor, which could be a bad thing. As it stands now, it looks like I will be grandfathered in, but without seeing the bill, no one knows for certain and this delay may mean something has changed. I read the bill in it's current form, but I have to wait now to see what has changed. Once I get the final draft, I will post it here for everyone to read the nonsense for themselves.

The link that Carolina posted is not the actual bill that is going to be introduced. It was a house bill HB that was prematurely written. The bill that is going to be introduced is a senate bill SB. I also see that Jack Hanna is opening his big mouth once again. What angers me about this?? He is NOT an Ohio resident and should have NO say whatsoever on what the residents in Ohio do and decide to keep as pets.Same with HSUS. Sadly, people listen to both these pieces of trash who have no knowledge on exotic animal ownership. Jack Hanna does not, he is just a TV celebrity who looks like a total fool when around animals. HSUS has no animal experience of any kind and no knowledge on how to care for exotics. I have 9 years of wildcat ownership experience. I have a mentor who has 25 years experience. I completed a wildcat husbandry course, I am a member of a few professional organizations (the FCF, Feline Conservation Federation, ZAA Zoological Association of America) and have been a volunteer at a USDA licensed facility for the past 7 years. So why does good ol Jack Hanna and HSUS think I as well as others, should not be able to live our lives with these animals??

Well folks who care. This may very soon, be the last time I post here about this. In short, the bill that is trying to be shoved down our throats by HSUS and JACK HANNA...Yes, Jack Hanna, if it passes in current form, will be the end of my cats lives. There are things in the bill, the way it is written that NO ONE will be able to comply with. They say current owner's will be grandfathered, but that is a lie. So if it does pass in it's current form (which we are fighting to change or stop) I will only have a few choices. 1) Move out of state which would mean, trying to find a new job, buying a place to live with my animals and selling my current home, which we know at this time will be almost impossible. 2) Having my animals ripped from their home and taken to a place I will have no control over or 3) Having all of them PTS!! Wow, have to love the choices I have to make living in a so called, free country!! Thank you HSUS and JACK HANNA and to all that support them. If this bill passes, you are the reason my cats will die!! Sorry to be so blunt, but it is the truth.

You can read more about the ban here. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/208988/our-exotic-furbabies-part-2/180

Actually, Pit Bull owner's in Ohio are no longer under attack. Pit Bulls have been removed from the "dangerous" animal/dog list. As for what my friend stated-  "I had to fence in our yard with a foot wooden privacy fence to prevent my neighbors pit bull from killing our dogs because our neighbor keeps his pit bull on a 6 foot chain, and the dog is constantly breaking the chain. The dog gets no attention. It is naturally mean and will attack anything that it sees. The police have done nothing to stop this".
 He is NOT stating that Pit Bulls are naturally mean, but that his neighbors dog is natually mean due to the poor condition the dog is kept in. Tied up on a 6 foot chain and never getting any attention.