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Foes of bill on wild animals unleash anger on legislators
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Motzie the Savannah cat looks and acts a lot like other home-dwelling felines — only he’s about twice the size and resembles wilder breeds seen in a zoo.
Deborah-Ann Milette, a Coshocton County resident and Vietnam War veteran who has received certification for Motzie as a service animal, brought the cat to the Statehouse with hopes of persuading lawmakers not to take him away.
She was among more than 100 people who packed a committee hearing room for testimony on Senate Bill 310, legislation that would ban the new ownership of certain dangerous, wild animals and institute containment and care requirements for existing owners.
“I would like to see them scrap the bill,” Milette said, adding later, “Tigers are not taught to kill you. They are bottle-fed, hand-raised babies, and they respect their caregivers. They know who feeds them. They’re not going to bite the hand that feeds them. ... Zanesville’s putting a panic in people for no reason.”
Tuesday’s hearing was the latest on a bill that would restrict ownership of elephants, hippos, bears, tigers, lions, monkeys and a host of other wild animals and impose permit requirements.
SB 310 also would create separate requirements for varieties of snakes, whose owners could continue to breed and acquire new ones, provided they obtain proper permits and meet other state requirements.
As was the case during a hearing last month, about 40 people offered testimony on the legislation, most of them voicing opposition or urging lawmakers to either toss the entire bill or make changes for specific types of animals.
Lawmakers did make a number of changes to the bill Tuesday, exempting boa constrictors and Savannah cats from its provisions, changing signage requirements for snakes and restricted primates and allowing public contact with elephants as part of certain education programs.
Many on hand Tuesday still oppose the bill, however, including Joe Schreibvogel, president of the U.S. Zoological Association who runs a refuge in Oklahoma that is home to more than 170 lions and tigers.
He said the legislation is being pushed by powerful money interests who stand to benefit financially from the changes.