Ohio looks at exotic animal restrictions

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Ohio lawmakers say they're concerned by a proposed ban on private ownership of exotic animals after 48 escaped animals were killed in an October incident.

State Sen. Troy Balderson said some good things are included in the recommendations from a specially appointed committee, but said, "I don't want to ban exotic animals. Ohio has the most-lenient laws in the country, and we need to do something about that.

"We need to protect people," he told The Columbus Dispatch. "We need to protect small business owners, and we need to protect the animals."

Balderson said his home is just 7 miles from where law enforcement officers killed animals including bears, lions, tigers and wolves that had been set free by their owner, Terry W. Thompson, before he committed suicide.

"I know people that live on that road," Balderson said. "But not everybody out there is like Terry Thompson. There's a lot of good people out there now with animals that are USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) regulated."

Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus said he was concerned about a recommendation to allow authorities to seize animals on the restricted-species list.

"I want to make sure we're not doing some things that are too much of a reach," he said. "If they're being well taken care of or housed properly and not posing a danger to others, we have to ask questions about whether it's appropriate to remove those animals."