A committee will soon work to put a wild animal release plan in place.
A dangerous wild animal response committee is being formed in Muskingum County. It brings together law enforcement, health officials, veterinarians and others to help create a plan for the county to follow in the event of an animal release.
The committee members must meet approval by county commissioners and the state before work can begin on an emergency plan.
"Hopefully by then the State plan will...
Within a year, there are thousands of news stories reported but only a handful of these stories stand out.
Narrowed down to the local top three, the first of these takes us back to June 29th when severe weather blew through our quiet city. The storm brought hail, strong winds and even a reported tornado in Tuscarawas County.
The damages were extensive as the wind caused numerous downed trees, ripped off shingles and in severe cases entire roofs. Thousands of people lost power and...
A Federal Judge has upheld Ohio’s new restrictions on exotic animals after several owners sued the state over the law. The Judge in Columbus ruled Thursday the owners failed to prove constitutional rights were violated. Seven owners had claimed the law forces then to join private associations with which they disagree and possible give up their animals without compensation. They also challenged a requirement that animals be implanted with a microchip, which would allow...
An animal owner has told a Federal Judge that Ohio’s new regulations on exotic creatures would wipe out most of her business and put her animals’ lives in danger. Cyndi Huntsman testified Monday that a requirement that animals receive a microchip for identification would put animals at risk because of sedation during surgery. Huntsman owns Stump Hill Farms near Massillon. She exhibits bears, lions and tigers to school children and the elderly through educational...
A Federal Judge is scheduled to begin hearing testimony Monday in a lawsuit involving Ohio’s new law regulating dangerous wild animals. Four owners filed the lawsuit in Columbus Federal Court last month contending the restrictions threaten their first amendment and property rights. The owners claim the law forces them to join private associations and possibly give up their animals without compensation. They also take issue with a requirement that the animals be...
Governor John Kasich has signed an order for Ohio to enforce temporary rules set by a board that was created under the state's new law on exotic animals.
The Dangerous and Restricted Animals Advisory Board has established interim rules for the caretaking of regulated exotic animals, the rules will be adopted immediately by the state.
Another board, the Dangerous Wild Animal State Emergency Response Commission is tasked with creating a state-wide emergency response plan to handle...
The deadline has arrived for exotic animal owners in Ohio to register their creatures under a tougher law. Monday’s registration deadline requires owners to say how many animals they have, there they are and who their veterinarian is, among other details. About 40 owners including several zoos had registered their creatures with the state by last week and officials believe there are still more. Current owners who want to keep their animals must obtain a new state-...
The State of Ohio is helping a Perry County woman find a new out-of-state home for eight exotic animals because she can’t meet the requirements of the new law for keeping them. State Agriculture Department spokeswoman Erica Pitchford Hawkins says the State is assisting the unnamed woman with relocating the four lions and four bears to a sanctuary in Colorado. She said the State is not bearing any of the cost of the transfer. The Columbus Dispatch reports that at least...
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz testified before Congress.
Sheriff Lutz spoke about what happened last October when Terry Thompson released dozens of exotic animals from his Kopchak Road farm before committing suicide.
Most of the animals had to be killed by deputies. Lutz said federal legislation would help authorities track the cats and conduct inspections.
"What I want to see is law enforcement given a little bit more authority to assist like the U.S....
Proposed regulations on exotic animals in Ohio are now headed to the Governor for his signature. Efforts to strengthen the State’s law took on new urgency in October when Terry Thompson released dozens of exotic animals from his Kopchak Road farm in Muskingum County. The Ohio House passed the measure on an 87-9 vote Tuesday. And the Senate then agreed to the house’s changes. Those revisions included lower permit fees and liability insurance requirements...
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