Cost of Ohio Exotic Animal Escape and Pet Ownership Task Force Update (ContributorNetwork)

The cost of the exotic animal escape from Terry Thompson's farm in Ohio placed a significant burden on the rural law enforcement agency. According to Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz, the agency spent approximately $8,500 when dealing with the wild animals Thompson freed from cages before shooting himself.

Columbus Zoo official and member of the committee tasked with reforming the state's lenient exotic pet laws Tom Stalf recently toured the scene and shared details of the grim living conditions with Gov. John Kasich's task force and media.

Here are some facts about the fiscal aspect of the exotic animals escape and the habitats of the wild creatures while contained on the farm.

* Zanesville-area law enforcement agencies charged with searching, containing and putting down the animals totaled $8,500. Some officers opted to take compensation time off instead of overtime pay. The tally would have been higher if weather conditions were not so poor that a Ohio State Highway Patrol office's helicopter called in for assistance could have flown.

* The annual budget of for the sheriff's office is $7 million. A total of $186,000 had been spent to cover overtime compensation prior to the incident. Even though the office is dealing with a lighter than usual budget, Muskingum County Commissioner Jim Porter said he felt the agency could cover the added expense.

* According to Stalf, the animals were living in horrific conditions. The pet monkeys were housed inside bird cages that contained significant amounts of feces. The habitat issue on the Zanesville farm was a part of the task force discussion at the Columbus Zoo earlier this week.

* A juvenile grizzly bear was chewing on its cage to break free when Stalf arrived the night Thompson released the animals. Stalf informed committee members the young bear was also being held in a bird cage that was placed inside a drained swimming pool. Although the farm was fenced in, the type of fencing was designed to contain common livestock and would not have withheld the force of a large wild animals.

* The six rescued animals remain in quarantine at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Thompson's widow Marian attempted to exercise her ownership rights late last week before the quarantine order was issued by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Zoo veterinarians do not want to tranquilize the animals to draw blood and run tests until they have regained a healthy weight and appear strong enough to withstand the procedure.

* Gov. Kasich's exotic animals task force was handed a Nov. 30 deadline to present recommendations for exotic pet reform laws. The group was created earlier this year and has been meeting since June to develop a comprehensive reform policy. Preliminary recommendations from the group lean toward prohibiting future ownership of dangerous exotic pets, requiring a substantial liability insurance policy and annual monitoring for exotic animals owners in the Buckeye State.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111102/us_ac/10323295_cost_of_ohio_exotic_animal_escape_and_pet_ownership_task_force_update

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