Starting Jan. 1, Ohio residents for the first time ever must have a state-issued permit – or have applied for one – to legally own a wide array of unconventional animals, from lions to big snakes.
The requirement is part of a state law passed last year after a 2011 incident in which a Zanesville man set free more than 50 lions, tigers, and other wild animals from his private menagerie before committing suicide.
The law imposes an almost total ban on the purchase, sale, or breeding of an array of animals, including lions, tigers, bears, elephants, certain monkeys, rhinos, alligators, crocodiles, anacondas and pythons longer than 12 feet, and all venomous snakes. The new rules include exemptions for zoos, research facilities, and circuses.
So far, seven permit applications have been completed, and another 30 are being processed, according to Ohio Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Erica Hawkins. The applicants are either private owners or for-profit companies, she said, though many of the latter are seeking to be certified as a zoo.
State officials will continue to accept mailed-in applications so long as they’re postmarked Dec. 31 or before, Hawkins said. The Department of Agriculture will need “a little while” to make a final review of the applications before the first permits will be issued, she said.
Permit requirements vary by animal, Hawkins said, but owners must insure or bond the animal, sterilize it, and meet minimum standards for cages and care.
Under the new law, exotic animal owners found without a valid permit could face a misdemeanor charge and civil penalties. Repeat offenders will be charged with a fifth-degree felony.
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