ANIMAL FORTEANA


In the beginning of things men were animals and animals men. ~ Algonquin saying

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons." ~ The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Ohio Exotic Animal Law: Right Thing, Wrong Message

Ohio Republican Governor Kasich:Ohio governor to sign order on "dangerous animals"
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) – Ohio Governor John Kasich plans to sign an executive order on Friday covering "dangerous wild animals," days after a collector caused a panic by releasing dozens of tigers, lions, bears and other animals.

The governor's office said Kasich, a first-term Republican, planned to sign and discuss an executive order on Friday afternoon, a day after two state lawmakers said they would propose legislation to restrict private ownership of dangerous exotic animals.


Which is good, no argument. But I wonder at the perspective: "dangerous animal" is the focus, not the moral issues involved concerning keeping exotic animals as pets or small, privately owned "zoos" and so on. And it appears this "executive order" doesn't go far enough:

A spokesman for Kasich said Strickland's rule was correct in principle but not enforceable and raised doubts about whether Ohio could restrict ownership of non-native wild animals. It also made no provision for dealing with seized animals.


I don't know why they say it'd be hard to enforce: why the hell not?

Ohio is one of the seven states that don't have any exotic animal laws; here are the other states that need to change their laws:
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Alabama
  • West Virginia
  • Nevada
  • Wisconsin

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