Owners of exotic animals in Ohio will be required to meet new caging, safety and caretaking standards under regulations approved Wednesday by state officials.
The regulations come as the state prepares to begin issuing new permits this fall to wildlife owners, who must obtain the authorization document by 2014 in order to keep their animals.
Owners will have to pass background checks, pay permit fees, obtain liability insurance or surety bonds and show inspectors they can properly contain their animals. Ohio officials could seize the animals if owners are found housing them without a permit.
Ohio strengthened its regulation of exotic animal ownership after a Zanesville man released dozens of his animals in 2011 from his eastern Ohio farm before committing suicide. Authorities killed most of the animals, including black bears, Bengal tigers and African lions, fearing for the public’s safety.
The new law took effect in September 2012, although some provisions have yet to kick in. Those include the permit process that goes into place in October.
Under that process, owners who want to keep their animals must obtain new state-issued permits by Jan. 1, 2014. The law exempts sanctuaries, research institutions and facilities accredited by the two national zoo groups.
The Ohio Association of Animal Owners participated in a task force that helped develop the guidelines. But Polly Britton, the organization’s lobbyist, objected to the regulations during the hearing of the legislative Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.
The permit for owners who intend to breed and sell their animals will be different from the one for those who plan to keep their wildlife as pets. Yet, Britton said, one of the purposes of issuing different permits is defeated by a rule asking the owners of to-be-bred wildlife to certify that the animals have been sterilized. Pets must also be neutered under the regulations.
A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which drafted the rules and will oversee the implementation, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Among the regulations that were cleared Wednesday are detailed housing standards for animals, some divided by families and others by species.
A bear’s primary enclosure, for example, must be constructed using at least 3-inch diameter steel vertical posts and 2-inch diameter steel for cross bracing, door frames, and top and bottom rails. The cage should also be a minimum of 400 feet long and 8 feet high with a roof or 12 feet with a cantilever. The enclosure of a polar bear must include additional pool space.
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