Ohio officials note progress after exotic animals release

COLUMBUS (AP) — A year after a suicidal owner in Ohio released lions, bears and dozens of his other exotic animals, just 17 owners have registered their creatures with the state under a tougher law.

Officials don’t know how many other owners are out there, but they believe there are more than those who have come forward.

Still, they aren’t discouraged by the number. They say at least Ohio’s law now requires owners to tell them how many animals they have, where they are, and who their veterinarian is, among other details.

“We had nothing before. Now, we do,” said state Sen. Troy Balderson, a Zanesville Republican who sponsored the legislation.

Ohio’s restrictions on exotic animals had been among the nation’s weakest. State lawmakers worked with a renewed sense of urgency to strengthen the law after an owner last fall released 50 creatures from an eastern Ohio farm in Zanesville before he committed suicide.