Wild animals in crosshairs

COLUMBUS

Sounds like the Statehouse battle over the private ownership of bears, wolves and tigers will begin in January.

But the question remains whether lawmakers will actually act on an all-out ban, as was recommended last week by a study group appointed by Gov. John Kasich, or if they’ll settle for something less prohibitive.

Or if they’ll allow the legislation to go the way of other animal-related law changes — namely the bill requiring licensing of dog breeders that receives ample legislative hearings but no final action session after session.

Sen. Troy Balderson, the Republican lawmaker whose hometown was thrust into the international spotlight after dozens of dangerous wild animals were let loose by their troubled owner and subsequently shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies, doesn’t think it will be the latter.

“Jack Hanna said it best: Not only is Muskingum County watching or the state of Ohio, but the whole world is watching us,” Balderson said. “And they’re going to watch what we do with this legislation, since it was worldwide news. I think that will drive this much faster.”

The Zanesville incident occurred months after Kasich allowed an executive order, signed by his predecessor, to expire that banned the private ownership and sale of dangerous wild and exotic animals.

changes in law

Kasich has said repeatedly that he doesn’t support private ownership of bears, tigers and other wild animals. But he also has said the state did not have authority to enforce it or animal registration requirements without law changes.

A study group the governor named to address the issue submitted a list of its recommendations for legislation last week, including an outright ban on “casual” ownership of dangerous wild animals as of 2014 and registration, care and confinement requirements for existing owners in the preceding months.

Lawmakers must make the next move. Balderson said he plans to meet with the governor’s administration and proponents and opponents of private ownership of wild animals.

Sometime early next year, he said he will introduce legislation that results from those discussions, with committee hearings likely beginning in January.

“It’s going to take more than a month [to draft the legislation] because there’s going to be so many people that are going to be affected by this,” Balderson said. “We need the sides to come to the table with this thing ... This is a big deal, and we need to focus on making this legislation very good.”

That said, Balderson and Senate President Tom Niehaus both voiced concern about an outright ban, particularly with regard to existing owners of prohibited species.

Balderson said the state needs regulations and a permitting system to allow some ownership to continue.

But, he added, “Average owners ... don’t need to have lions and tigers. We’ve got to get rid of people having these animals that have absolutely no purpose for them. ... There’s numerous cases in the state of Ohio where accidents have happened with somebody, and people have been mauled. We don’t need a chimpanzee in an apartment in downtown Cleveland.”

Niehaus was asked last week whether the legislation would end up like bills related to puppy mills, which have been introduced, thoroughly discussed and debated and left to die at the end of recent sessions.

He replied that he thought the animal ownership legislation would move more quickly — given the incident in Zanesville and the awareness of the issue it generated.

“You have to ask yourself, how does one person gain control over that many animals that are endangered,” Niehaus said, concerning the number of tigers that were owned privately and subsequently shot and killed in the October incident. “And how is one able to care for them? I mean, that’s a pretty expensive proposition.”

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.