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America's
Most Dangerous Pets
BBC
- 11/4/11
Excerpts: Host: "...I've heard they
(chimpanzees) bite your nose off." Private Owner: "Oh,
no no no no." Host: "But, it does
happen?" Private Owner: "Yes." This
report by Louis Theroux explores private owners of exotic "pets",
as well as GW Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, OK and it's owner Joe
"Exotic" Schreibvogel, who says "If I could pull my photo
show off the road tomorrow, I'd do it, but I can't.... It's all
bull***t." When asked if he really would euthanize all the
animals if he could not financially continue, he replies: "I'm
dead serious. If that's what they want, before they run me out of business,
I'll euthanize every damn animal in this place."
Exotic
Animal Farms Continue
ONN
TV - Ohio - November 17, 2011
Excerpt:
"...They should put a fence around the state of Ohio and just make it a
big zoo..."
SPECIAL
REPORT: Wild at Heart WSBT-TV
South Bend ~ November 10, 2011
Excerpt: "...Breeders make it easy to own
an exotic animal. With a quick search online, WSBT found breeders who would
ship a cobra, one of the world's deadliest snakes, right to our door.
It is not just snakes, but alligators,
bobcats and many other exotic species that are being sold online..."
After
the Ohio Tragedy: How to Buy a Tiger
Time
Magazine ~ November 7, 2011
Excerpt: "...Eight
states in the U.S. — Alabama, Idaho, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina, South
Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin — have essentially no laws
whatsoever on keeping tigers (and other exotic animals) privately. But 26
other states ban the possession of such creatures in private collections,
while 16 require state permits or registration. These uneven regulations
mean it's difficult for officials to be sure exactly how many privately
owned exotic animals there are in the U.S. — and where they are..."
Ohio
Launches Dangerous Exotic Animal Database
Time
Magazine ~ November 1, 2011
Excerpt: "...In
response to the recent tragedy in Muskingum County involving dangerous wild
animals, Gov. John R. Kasich issued an Executive Order instructing state
agencies to use existing but underused legal powers in innovative ways to
address threats to animal welfare and public health and safety, as well as
better support the enforcement efforts of local officials..."
Lions
and Tigers and Bears - (Blog re: homeowners insurance)
Property
Casualty 360 ~ November 9, 2011
Excerpt: "...While
one might think that surely owning wild animals would be excluded on your
standard homeowners policy, you would be wrong. There is no liability
exclusion for any particular type of animal, be it a domestic dog or a wild
tiger..."
Tranquilizing
"in the field"
Black
Pine on Facebook ~ October 21, 2011
-
When anesthesia
(tranquilization) is performed in a tame animal under controlled
conditions, the procedure calls for a prior review of the animal's
medical history, physical exam, weight assessment, and typically blood
chemistry profile. Administering these drugs without knowledge of those
factors can lead to death or deadly damage to major organs.
-
On the contrary,
anesthetizing in the "field" is performed without any phsyical
control of the animal, no historical data (weight, prior reactions) and
no control of the environment. Safety is the greatest concern in this
event and anything that elevates the anxiety of the animal will likely
advance the animal to a near-death, or a fatal outcome quickly.
Environmental conditions - visibility, wind, temperature, and more may
dramatically affect the delivery of the drugs, and the animal's ability
to survive the drug's affects or to react in an aggressive manner that
quickly spirals out of control.
-
This process, called
chemical immobilization, should be performed only by someone
knowledgeable about the proper handling and dosage of the drugs used
(which can be deadly to a person, too), delivery techniques (air-gun
powered darts, blowpipes, pole syringes, etc.). That person needs to be
able to react appropriately when something 'goes wrong'. Which equipment
to use, which drugs or combination of drugs and proper dosage amounts,
how to best approach the animal while not risking life, and how to
respond in the event of failures all must be considered. In addition,
knowing where to inject on the animals body, how long should it take the
drugs to “work”, and the signs to know if that animal is “safe”
to approach are major considerations. It is FEDERALLY MANDATED that a
veterinarian be involved in this process as the drugs used are
controlled by the DEA. The drugs also must be specially ordered from a
compounding pharmacy in order to provide a dosage amount that can
actually be delivered successfully using darts – less than 5cc is
recommended for animals weighing over 50 pounds. That requires expensive
medication, pre-ordering, and the drugs often have a very short
shelf-life.
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Because of what we
describe here, it is not only improbable, but also impractical to expect
any metro or rural police and other emergency responders whose job it is
to protect human citizens to be prepared or equipped to take down even
one large predatory animal, never mind more than 30 all at once! That is
not only improbably, it is truly impossible, nor would most of us want
to fund this kind of emergency preparedness with tax dollars.
PRIVATE OWNER VS. ‘ZOO’
OR ‘RESCUE FACILITY’
Some have commented that Mr.
Terry Thomas was “no different than Black Pine”. Others have asked “why
wouldn’t the zoo have just come and taken his animals if he needed help.”
Navigating the various realities of all of us who keep non-domestic animals
in captivity can be confusing. Here are some general definitions:
-
“Zoo” is a broad
term. There are private owners who operate a public exhibit of animals
for profit. There are nationally and internationally accredited
metropolitan and ‘small’ private zoos. Some are ‘for profit’
while others may be ‘non-profit’. Generally, a 'for profit zoo' is
probably not the most trustworthy in terms of being animal-focused - not
profit-focused. If accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
the organization is typically considered ‘legitimate’ and is by the
nature of accreditation likely involved in meaningful wildlife
conservation and preservation. Breeding programs in AZA zoos are
strictly managed to preserve endangered species and their viability, so
those zoos are not interested in adopting the "mutts" from the
public arena. Doing so would diminish the DNA of their captive breeding
population. Most major city zoos are AZA accredited. HOWEVER, one can
own a private menagerie of animals and make money from breeding,
exhibiting, and other activities and still call themselves a “zoo”.
Accreditation is the ‘key’ to recognizing some level of quality of
care and practices. Further, every U.S. “zoo” must have a federal
license in order to legally exhibit and/or breed most large carnivores
and primates, as well as other ‘major’ species. Mr. Thompson was not
federally licensed, nor was his facility accredited. He was a
"private owner".
-
“Sanctuary” or “Rescue”
are terms used to describe those who have animals they have ‘rescued’
vs. purchased or were born on site. Some may indeed rescue animals,
however they may also opt to breed, sell, and use them for profit, and
still call themselves a ‘sanctuary’ or ‘rescue’. “True”
sanctuaries have often used the term “pseudo-sanctuary” to describe
those kinds of facilities and to separate themselves from them. A “real”
sanctuary will not buy, sell, breed, or use animals for commercial
purposes. A self-titled sanctuary or rescue may, or may not be
accredited as well. However, it is highly unusual that a sanctuary hold
an AZA accreditation (we know of none). Instead, a handful of
sanctuaries are accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries.
Black Pine Animal Sanctuary is not accredited because at this time the
process prohibits any visitors from touring the facility without direct
supervision at all times; and will not allow for ‘general visiting
hours’. This is out of concern for the well-being of the animals
enjoying permanent refuge. Due to the large impact our visitors have on
our ability to fund this operation, we have thus far not sought
accreditation, though we otherwise meet other requirements in terms of
‘best practices’ and quality of care. If a sanctuary is open to the
public and has large carnivores or primates, they must also be licensed
federally as an ‘exhibitor’. Not every individual who has rescued an
animal is, therefore, truly a ‘sanctuary’, nor are they required to
hold any federal licenses if they don’t breed or exhibit to the
public. Black Pine holds a Class C Exhibitor’s license issued by the
USDA/APHIS. Mr. Thomas was not legally required to have any licenses
where he lived in OH. He may well have operated illegally if he did
indeed travel and 'exhibit' any of his carnivores, as was suggested by
videos of him providing a lion cub for a photo shoot.
¦“Laws” vary literally by city, county, and state. There is no
federal law that prohibits anyone from owning any animal, period. Some
states regulate some species. Others don’t regulate any non-native
species (OH). Some have permits, others ban ownership altogether. The
same is true city to city and county to county. There is no “applicable
to all situations law" to refer to in this case, or any other. The
only thing that holds true ‘across the board’ is that if you own
certain species AND exhibit and/or breed them, you must have a federal
license. That eliminates nearly every ‘private owner’ in the
country, and is why there are thousands of tigers, lions, leopards,
monkeys, apes, venomous reptiles, and other dangerous animals living
around you! In Indiana, if you do hold a federal license, you are exempt
from state regulations for those species regulated by your federal
license - another 'problem' we don't get into here! (IN does not
regulate primates, so unless you are an exhibitor or breeder, you need
no license at all in most of the state - except where perhaps a city or
county ordinance prohibits it.... still confused? So are we!)
To learn more, visit Born
Free USA.
Get engaged, be informed, and
help create change where you live! Don't assume what you see is 'illegal'.
Find out! Let’s help keep the tragedies like that of October 19, 2011 in
Zanesville, OH from ever happening again. Thanks for your continued support
of the “real” sanctuaries!
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