Brent Kandra (pictured) was mauled to death in August 2010 by a bear belonging to an exotic animal enthusiast in Ohio.
The reality is that exotic animals are not domesticated; they're wild. They can need special care--like specific diets, a controlled climate, and miles to roam--that few households can give.
And without a permanent ban on buying exotic animals, any private resident in Ohio can purchase one and keep it in their backyard or basement, jeopardizing the animal's well-being and the safety of their neighbors.
Now, as a result of Brent's death and the hard work of animal activists, there is a temporary ban on owning exotic animals as pets in Ohio. That ban needs to be made permanent.
Urge Ohio's new governor, John Kasich, to permanently ban exotic animals as pets.
Exotic animals are not pets. There are risks that come with the exotic animal trade, including danger to the animals, the environment, and the people who acquire them.
Wild animals have unpredictable behaviors that we don't fully understand, which can result in injury or death to people, and almost certainly death for the animal.
Also, these animals can require an enormous amount of care: special diets, a controlled climate, and possibly miles to roam. In addition, exotic animals carry a number of diseases that can be transferred to humans: herpes, hepatitis A, rabies, ringworm, and measles, just to name a few.
Finally, if the animals escape--or are let loose, as many people feel forced to do after they learn how difficult it is to care for them--the animals can disrupt the environments they were brought into.
It's for these reasons that the executive order banning exotic animals as pets should be made permanent.
The pending legislation, drafted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, creates a registration and monitoring system for those who already own these animals, and it bans any new purchases or breeding of animals by private citizens.
[Your comments]
I urge you to sign the rule that bans exotic animals as pets. Doing so makes sense for both the animals and the people of Ohio.
