Outgoing Ohio Gov. Strickland bans exotic ownership

Columbus, Ohio

-- Outgoing Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in one of his last official actions before leaving office Jan. 10, signed an executive order for a temporary ban on wild animal ownership.

The ban, which expires 90 days from its enactment on Jan. 6, was Strickland's last step to satisfy terms of a deal he made last year with the Ohio Farm Bureau, the agricultural community and the Humane Society of the United States to block a proposed ballot initiative on livestock-care.

“This rule will help protect Ohioans from deaths and serious injuries caused by attacks from dangerous wild animals held in private ownership," Strickland says in a statement on the ban.

The new ban prohibits the sale, possession, breeding or transfer of coyotes, timber and gray wolves (not hybrids), all bears and primates, crocodiles, and large, constricting and venomous snakes. The ban does not impact wildlife, conservation or research organizations.

People who currently own any of these species may keep them, but they can’t breed, sell or transfer ownership of the animals. Current owners must also register and microchip the animals in their care, according to the executive order.

Strickland says the temporary order should keep the ban in place long enough for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to submit a more permanent ban to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review for approval.