Governor Signs Exotic Animal Bill

Governor John Kasich has now the signed the bill that will ban people from buying new exotic animals.

The event took place Tuesday afternoon at the Statehouse with State Senator Troy Balderson, State Representative Brian Hill, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz, Celebrity Zookeeper Jack Hannah and others looking on.

The Sheriff stopped by our studios on the way back from Columbus, and said it’s a big sigh of relief for everyone involved.

"There’s been a lot of work put into it by the legislatures, a lot of phone calls and a lot of checking, and a lot of trips around the state of Ohio to see exactly what we were dealing with, so I think it’s just a sigh of relief," said Lutz.

Lutz received one of the ink pens Governor Kasich used to sign the bill into law.

The measure takes effect in three months. 

Current owners could keep their exotic animals by registering them with the state within 60 days of the bill’s effective date.

Owners would also have to obtain a new state-issued permit by 2014 and adhere to strict new caretaking standards.

"I think this bill is going to give Ohioans some good guidelines and restrictions involving the ownership of exotics and whether it will be the end of it, I don’t know about that, but I think obviously this will make things able to be more prepared in the state of Ohio," added Lutz.

Regulatory efforts took on new urgency when Terry Thompson released dozens of creatures from his Kopchak Road farm in Muskingum County in October.

Muskingum County Sheriff’s Deputies were forced to kill most of the animals to preserve public safety. The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Balderson and in the House by Hill.