# Site General > Pet Related Laws & Legislation >  Ohio exotic animal ban: full list of animals and some opinions

## BFE Pets

Copied and pasted from a blog. The list is accurate per the legal pages I've read.


The Ohio Pet Ban: What Animals Are Now Illegal as Pets ?

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A Pet Serval Source: David Norris and Rexano

Pet Alligator featured on an old Animal Planet series

A Cotton top tamarin, a "dangerous" animal now banned as a pet in Ohio. Source: CarnalContessa

Burmese Pythons are Popular

Burmese Python at a reptile demonstration held at a library. Source: http://attleboro.patch.com/articles/viewfinder-sna...

The Zanesville, Ohio massacre, which ended with the deaths of 18 tigers, 17 lions, 6 black bears, 2 grizzly bears, 3 mountain lions, 2 wolves, and a baboon after they were set free by their suicidal owner Terry Thompson, sent legislators in a frenzy to amend previous bills that were said to be far too lenient on what exotic pets could be legally owned in Ohio. Prior to the incident, Governor Kasich's task force, which was composed of organizations like the HSUS and the American Zoological Association, originally were examining the state's lack of regulations when the Zanesville incident propelled the issue into the spotlight and largely contributed to the support of the finished bill.

The new Dangerous Wild Animal Bill had wide spread approval and was passed by the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee in a 87-9 vote (the previous Senate Sub-Bill 310 was approved by the committee and was sent to the Senate floor for a vote, passing the Ohio Senate 30-1). Governor Kasich is expected to sign SB 310's exotic pet ban into a law soon.

Current Owners

If you live in the state of Ohio and posses a 'restricted species', you can acquire a permit for the animal(s) by 2014, but there's a catch; the owner must meet strict new regulations including registration, expensive liability insurance coverage (a 1 million dollar insurance policy is required of those that possess a restricted species for educational purposes) and facility standards. The registered animal must be micro-chipped. If owners cannot meet these new standards, they will have to find new homes for their pets or turn them into the state where they will likely be euthanized. No new animals may be purchased once the ban takes affect on January 1, 2014.

The following animals are banned as 'pets' with the exception of zoos and sanctuaries:

(I have bolded animals that obviously pose little or no danger to the public, and/or are popularly kept)

(1) Hyenas (2) Gray wolves, excluding hybrids (3) Lions (4) Tigers (5) Jaguars (6) Leopards, including clouded leopards, Sunda clouded leopards, and snow leopards (7) All of the following, including hybrids with domestic cats unless otherwise specified (a) Cheetahs (b) Lynxes, including Canadian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, and Iberian lynxes (c) Cougars, also known as pumas or mountain lions (d) Caracals (e) Servals, excluding hybrids with domestic cats commonly known as savannah cats.

How to Care for a Pet Tiger I often hear the phrase "backyard tiger" used negatively, and it is used to inspire legislators to ban exotic pets. Tigers and big cats clearly do not make suitable 'pets' for most people, but with this article, I hope to dispel the myth that it is i

(8) Bears (9) Elephants (10) Rhinoceroses (11) Hippopotamuses (12) Cape buffaloes (13) African wild dogs (14) Komodo dragons (15) Alligators (16) Crocodiles (17) Caimans, excluding dwarf caimans (18) Gharials (19) Nonhuman primates other than lemurs and the nonhuman primates specified in division (C)(20) of this section

(20) All of the following nonhuman primates

(a) Golden lion, black-faced lion, golden-rumped lion, cotton-top, emperor, saddlebacked, black-mantled, and Geoffroy's tamarins (b) Southern and northern night monkeys (c) Dusky titi and masked titi monkeys (d) Muriquis (e) Goeldi's monkeys (f) White-faced, black-bearded, white-nose bearded, and monk sakis (g) Bald and black uakaris (h) Black-handed, white-bellied, brown-headed, and black spider monkeys (i) Common woolly monkeys (j) Red, black, and mantled howler monkeys.

Snakes

(L) "Restricted snake" means any of the following: (1) All of the following constricting snakes that are twelve feet or longer: (a) Green anacondas (b) Yellow anacondas (c) Reticulated pythons (d) Indian pythons (e) Burmese pythons (f) North African rock pythons (g) South African rock pythons (h) Amethystine pythons (2) Species of the following families (a) Atractaspididae (b) Elapidae (c) Viperidae (3) Boomslang snakes (4) Twig snakes.

(The threat of 'constricting snakes' is largely exaggerated)

Is This Bill Fair?

The strong support of this bill is the result of the actions of a single individual. In addition to any animals currently listed, additional animals can be added based on a decision made by the Director of ODA that only needs to be approved by the General Assembly.

It should be noted that most of the animals listed are rarely, or never kept as 'pets'. A few examples would be rhinos, elephants (outside of circuses), komodo dragons and hippopotamuses. The list includes many highly advanced 'pets' that should never be kept by the typical person (however, the few exceptions to this rule should be granted the opportunity to state their situation and privately own a 'restricted species' without being a zoo or so-called sanctuary).

However, the list includes a few species that clearly do not pose any kind of threat to 'public safety' such as the smaller cats and non-human primates. Also not given any consideration is the fact that domesticated animals could easily cause similar, or worse damage than these unfairly stigmatized animals. It is obvious that in time, more non-threatening species will make their way onto this list due to ignorance, and these bans will spread to other states that haven't enforced them already. The ban will inevitably affect smaller businesses such as those that present animals for educational purposes, and will force many owners to give up their animals.

Such inflexible bans on the rights of the population should be considered as a last option. Animal ownership is not being taken seriously as pertinent to the livelihoods of pet keepers by Ohio's legislators. Clearly this new law, having been provoked by a single incident caused by one irresponsible or mentally ill individual is not a valid reason to end lifestyles, businesses, and freedom of choice.

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## Dragoon

No one here will agree to any banned snakes being fair.  just an fyi

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## BFE Pets

Really that's what you got from that? I know no one on here is gonna support a reptile ban. Just put the blog on here for others to see.

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## Vargronak

I believe that this law is a mixed bag.  On one hand it's probably a good idea to outlaw private collectors from owning animals like large primates, big cats and kimono dragons because if they get loose they do pose a threat to the general population.  On the other hand it's just silly to outlaw pets like tamarins which can ( imo ) cause zero harm if they escape.  As for big snakes I don't believe that they are dangerous when they are properly handled and cared for.  All of the "threats" that big snakes pose come from people who don't respect their animals.  You can still buy a stingray after this ban and if you stick your hand in the tank to grab it and piss it off ( depending on the species ) it's game over.  When it comes to venomous snakes I have mixed feelings.  The majority of venomous snakes are beautiful animals and I believe that people who have the proper experience and are aware of the risks involved should be able to keep them.  It just becomes a problem when any old schmuck is able to purchase a Gaboon Viper or a Monocled Cobra, if that snake gets loose it can certainly pose a threat to the well being of the general population within close proximity ( which brings up the point that if a child were to get tagged by one of these species and they couldn't find the animal how could they administer the correct anti-venom in time?).

I love reptiles, and all animals for that matter and think that if people are responsible and know what they are getting into then they should be able to own any animal that they please as long as they can provide proper care for the duration of its life.  But unfortunately it's the idiots that have never owned a reptile that go out and buy a cobra or viper because they want to be "bad-ass" or the moron who, without any research, buys a baby alligator because it's "cute" and end up ruining it all for us responsible hobbyists that just love our animals.

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_BFE Pets_ (08-27-2012)

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