Oh, Ohio

ooolalalolo

We always make the news for crazy things, unless it's a presidential election year. 

Apparently school was cancelled today in Zaynesville because of wild animals on the loose (lions, bears, wolves, etc):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15364027 

myblueangel19

hahahhaha! I read that one earlier today, it  was quite the catchy headline. I feel really bad for the animals because the police are ordered to shoot to kill in most of the cases, I believe. Really sad.

gblake

Lately the Midwest has been showcasing their brightest...did you see the story about the drunk MI father allowing his 9 yo daughter drive. What a winner? This OH story is sad, that man was not in the right mind frame.

stever

That was terrible. I read that they killed 100 or so animals, including 10 Bengal tigers... they're nearly extinct.

hamilton.ja

The whole thing was very sad. The fact that there was no law regulating private ownership of exotic animals is the worst part of this I think. There's no reason that he should have been allowed to have those animals. They weren't being cared for properly at all it seems and he was clearly in need of help as well. They had to kill them, though. There was no safe way to tranquilize them and even Jack Hanna said that it was the best thing to do, the way they'd been raised and the condition they were in meant that they never would have survived in a real zoo either. But besides that they just couldn't risk that they could hurt someone -imagine what happened in CT with the domesticated chimp times 50. It could have been awful.

ktkl09

I just read this story on CNN and I'm so upset that all these animals had to be killed. I know they're dangerous animals but still they're beautiful animals. I guess there's nothing else to be done. 

jldittber

 

There is a documentary, ironically takes place in Ohio, about how exotic animals are out of control in the US and people fighting the laws so they can have them. It?s really good, I think it?s called like Elephant in the Room or something like that.

 

Publius

jldittber:

 

There is a documentary, ironically takes place in Ohio, about how exotic animals are out of control in the US and people fighting the laws so they can have them. It?s really good, I think it?s called like Elephant in the Room or something like that.

 

Unless something has changed recently (which I kind of doubt), the only laws on keeping exotic animals as pets in OH are city ordinances--(i.e. You can't have a pet wolf within the limits of the city of Cincinnati).  When I was a kid I distinctly remember going on a field trip to a sanctuary for wild animals people had kept as pets and didn't want anymore.  They had a couple wolf packs, several tigers, cougars, and a lion.  The director told us where the former owners were keeping them too--this 300 pound cat was kept in a dog kennel in some schmuck's garage type of stuff--it was really sad. 

ETA: It's ironic, but OH has more state-wide legislation on the ownership of pit bulls than it does on wild animals.