Ohio Gov. John Kasich has told a committee examining a statewide ban on private ownership of exotic animals to stop “nit-picking” and come up with the strongest language in the United States in the matter.
The committee, made up of government and animal-interest group representatives, has been meeting at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, according to the
Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio is considering a strict law banning new ownership of animals such as big cats, bears, monkeys, and others after owner Terry Thompson, in Zanesville, Ohio, opened his animals’ cages and then shot himself in the head. Almost all of the animals, including nearly 20 rare Bengal tigers, were shot and killed by police.
Kasich has come under fire since the incident. Previous governor Ted Strickland had enacted controls concerning exotic animals, but the rules expired and were not renewed.
The governor is reportedly unhappy that Ohio has received negative national publicity after Thompson freed his animals into the countryside.
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