Police Investigate Cougar Bite Incident

Pataskala Police say they are perplexed about how to handle a pet cougar accused of biting an Ohio Social Services worker because it appears the owner didn’t act illegally and the State’s new exotic animal law does not take effect until fall.  The Columbus Dispatch reports a Licking County caseworker told police her finger was bitten through a fence and began to bleed while she was evaluating a home in Pataskala.  The caseworker said she had been checking whether the owner’s exotic pets were properly contained and evaluating whether the home is safe for children.  Police Chief Bruce Brooks says officers weren’t sure how to deal with the case because the owner doesn’t yet need insurance or a permit under the new exotic animal regulations.  The cat’s owner opposed those rules which were re-written after a Muskingum County exotic animal owner, Terry Thompson, released all his animals then committed suicide in October.