State seizes tigers, bear at northern Ohio animal sanctuary

STONY RIDGE, Ohio (AP) — Ohio authorities have started seizing tigers and other exotic animals at an animal sanctuary near Toledo.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture began rounding up the animals today after issuing a warning last year to the owner of the facility.

The state told the owner last October that he needed to voluntarily surrender his animals because he had failed to get the necessary permits to keep them.

But the owner later said he hoped to keep the animals after volunteers helped him improve his facility. Among the animals on the site are a black leopard, a lion, a bear and a handful of tigers.

Ohio toughened laws on private ownership after the 2011 release of dozens of wild animals by a suicidal owner at his eastern Ohio farm.