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The Dayton Daily News has covered the issue of exotic animals extensively. We will continue to follow the issue closely and bring you the latest news as it develops.
By the Numbers
75: Exotic animals that have stayed at the state's temporary holding facility since March 2013
55: Permits issued in 2015
201: Animals covered by permits in 2015
14: Exotic animals seized by the state
Source: Ohio Department of Agriculture
WHO RECEIVED QUARANTINE ORDERS
Cynthia Browning, Grove City: Two Java macaques
Daniel Chambers, Germantown: One Bengal tiger, three black bears, one Syrian brown bear and one cougar
Lesia Knight and Earl W. LeMasters, Jacobsburg: Three black bears
Kord McGuire, West Alexandria: Three Syrian brown bears and one bobcat
John Mishko, Brooklyn: One alligator
Sean Trimbach, Medway: 148 restricted snakes, including rattlesnakes, cobras, agkistrodon and true vipers
Seven exotic animal owners have been ordered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to quarantine their bears, tigers and snakes as the state looks to crack down on illegal possession of dangerous wild species.
Letters were sent out earlier this week informing owners who are non-compliant to the Ohio Dangerous Wild Animal Act that their animals can only come in contact with the owner and the owner’s employees while the state determines the appropriate next steps for each of them, according to Erica Hawkins, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Three of the seven exotic animal owners who were sent quarantine letters live in the Dayton area: Daniel Chambers, Germantown; Kord McGuire, West Alexandria; and Sean Trimbach, Medway.
“The quarantine is the first step of the investigation to allow us on the property to verify what’s on there and what’s not,” Hawkins said.
The animals must be fed and cared for during the quarantine, and cannot be removed from the property, the letters said. Hawkins said the seven owners began the permit process in late 2013 or early 2014, but never completed it.
The state removed the applications from pending status, returned the incomplete applications unprocessed and refunded any fees, Hawkins said.
“We gave these folks a window of time to avoid this process, so now we’re obligated to move forward down this road with them,” Hawkins said. “Hopefully we come to a resolution without taking things all the way to court, but we’ll do what we need to do.”
Earlier this year, the state warned the owners that they do not have the necessary permits nor meet the caging requirements to own the animals. Hawkins said the state gave them three options: proof of an exemption; relocate the animals out of state; or relinquish the animals to the state.
Hawkins said the investigations will be a case-by-case basis and variables will be considered, such as what animals they have and how cooperative the owners are. The end result could be voluntary relinquishment or seizure by the state, she said.
The Dangerous Wild Animal Act took full effect Jan. 1, 2014, banning the selling, breeding and trading of exotic animals and requiring annual permits for registered owners.
Hawkins said the state does not know how many exotic animals are in Ohio, but it is believed that number has been greatly reduced, with owners relinquishing their animals, closing up shop or moving out of state.
Tim Harrison, a consultant with the Ohio Department of Agriculture who runs Outreach For Animals, a nonprofit exotic animal rescue organization, had estimated that Ohio had 2,000 lions, tigers, leopards and cougars before the law and about 1,000 bears.
On Wednesday, he said that number is less than 400 total.
“(The law’s) been doing fantastic,” Harrison said. “We don’t have any more auctions in the state of Ohio. We were the biggest embarrassment across the country. People said it would hurt our economy, but it hasn’t. At auctions, nobody pays taxes. The dealers are making a ton of money under the table.”
Trimbach, owner of Best Exotics LLC, said he is leaving the state. His 16-acre farm in Medway is up for auction July 9, and he hopes to get $250,000 for the property before he heads to 58 acres of land in Naples, Texas.
Trimbach said he moved his snakes out of state last month to a friend’s property and will pick them up on his way down to Texas. Hawkins said the state plans to send an enforcement agent out to Trimbach’s property to verify.
Non-venomous snakes and lemurs remain on the property, but they’re not affected by the law, Trimbach said.
Trimbach has said he tried to play by the rules the state had established, but the cost became too high. He chose to euthanize two African serval cats, two alligators and a Syrian brown bear rather than relinquish them to the state.
It would have cost him $22,000 a year in insurance and permits to stay in Ohio, while in Texas, he can get all of his permits for $160, he said.
Trimbach plans to start his business back up in Texas with reptiles and eventually carnivores, including bears and big cats.
“I hate to do it, but I’m running,” Trimbach said. “They took away my means from making a living. It’s harsh all of this is happening. It doesn’t seem like anybody benefits. The state’s not in a better place. The state’s losing tax money and voters. And the animals aren’t in a better place.”
McGuire, owner of Heaven’s Corner Zoo & Sanctuary, has closed the facility. His four animals — three bears and a bobcat — will be removed in the next three weeks by a contact of his, he said.
Heaven’s Corner has been licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 1990, but is not exempt from the more stringent state requirements. The USDA removed eight large cats from the premises on Jan. 31.
“This law killed us,” McGuire said. “We’re done. It’s unbelievable. People that pushed the law don’t even know what they did to us, and they don’t care. I’m moving on.”
McGuire said a woman and her child traveled from Columbus on Tuesday to visit Heaven’s Corner, only to realize it has closed. More than 13,000 people visited Heaven’s Corner last year in a four-month span.
He said he has no plans to leave his 19-acre Preble County property, which he has built up over time with cages, exhibits, restrooms, a gift shop and 300 yards of concrete for handicap accessibility.
“I couldn’t start over,” McGuire, 60, said. “It’s over. It’d be nice if the state reimbursed us for what they take. We did all of this legally.”
Chambers, who was cited for a tiger, a cougar and four bears, said in an email he is trying to comply and get a permit, but if that doesn’t work, he will fight to keep “what’s legally mine.”
“(It) goes to show you just how much of a public safety threat these animals are when the state orders a quarantine to where they already live,” Chambers said. “This law plainly infringes on our constitutional rights.”
State officials phased in aspects of the Dangerous Wild Animal Act after Gov. John Kasich signed the bill in June 2012. The first phase went into effect Sept. 5, 2012, prohibiting the sale or purchase of dangerous wild animals, including lions, tigers and bears.
During a two-month registration period in late 2012, 150 owners — private citizens and zoos — registered a total of 888 dangerous wild animals, according to the Department of Agriculture. The registration was the state's first attempt to create a benchmark of exotics.
Owners of registered dangerous wild animals could apply for permits beginning on Oct. 1, 2013. Under the law, no owner can own a dangerous wild animal without a permit that must be renewed annually.
“The law allows them to keep their animals as long as they are properly secured and cared for,” said Hawkins, noting 55 owners have permits. “In that respect, the law is working.”
The state legislation was sparked by an October 2011 Zanesville incident when Terry Thompson killed himself after setting 56 jungle cats and other dangerous exotic animals free in the Muskingum County countryside. Sheriff’s deputies killed 49 of the animals to prevent them from escaping into the community and harming citizens.
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