Escaped Alligator Scares Homeowner

http://www.10tv.com/?sec=&story=site...137039192.html

Escaped Alligator Scares Homeowner
Sep 02 2007 11:45PM
WESTERVILLE, Ohio- A homeowner in Westerville received a surprise visit from a giant reptile Sunday evening.

"I heard this scratching at the side door, looked down and there was an alligator's tail on the step," homeowner Emily McKenney said.

Authorities found another 6-foot alligator named Penelope next door. Both animals were in the care of Paul Barrows who rescues reptiles.

In Westerville city code, possessing an alligator is a minor misdemeanor, but police don't plan to charge Barrows.

The alligators are now being kept at the Columbus Zoo until Barrows can find them a good home.

10 Investigates reported there are no state laws related to private ownership of exotic or wild animals. Current state law covers animals native to the state.

One Ohio lawmaker is pushing to change that with a bill that would include caging requirements and notification to neighbors and emergency personnel.

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How could something named 'Penelope' scare anyone? This will surely put some fire into the pending Ohio bill, I think it's been stalled for a while I hope it doesn't take off. Although caging requirements doesn't seen like a bad idea when someone lets a 6ft alligator escape, but I don't necessarily want the State deciding what constitutes a threat.

The bill is a little more restrictive than mentioned in the article, but that's for another thread.

"One Ohio lawmaker is pushing to change that with a bill that would include caging requirements and notification to neighbors and emergency personnel."

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Don, I don't have a problem with caging requirements for animals of "special concern" (giant pythons, large monitors, crocodilians, venomous...). I also don't have a problem with notifying emergency personnel - well, the fire department, anyway.
But, notification of neighbors <give me just a moment, while I install/activate my obsenity filter> there is no way that I agree with that one, and it should NOT be manditory. I'm sure that many people have great neighbors, but I haven't been blessed with any in a loooooong time. And trying to think of when I had neighbors I would have wanted to tell I kept animals like that........ummmmmmm.......still thinking.

Harald, I agree completely.

The Ohio bill states:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/b...ID=126_HB_0643

(3) Post and display at intervals of ten feet along the boundary of the property where each dangerous wild animal or exotic animal is confined signs warning the public that a dangerous wild animal or an exotic animal is on the property. The signs shall comply with standards established in rules adopted under section 1534.10 of the Revised Code.

A few example "Exotic animals"

(33) A species within the family Boidae that has the potential to exceed eight feet in length; (30) A green iguana;
(25) A hippopotamus;(26) A giraffe;(27) A camel;
(28) A crocodile monitor;(29) A water monitor;
(32) A species within the family Elapidae;
(1) A lion;(2) A tiger;(3) A cougar;(4) A leopard;etc;etc

You get the drift. Most everything I have falls under the radar but I do have a carpet python that may have the potential to exceed eight feet. I sure don't want to post signs every ten feet around my yard warning people about the "exotic hazard". We aren't even allowed to post a sign about a garage sale. I live in a 'gated' community and can only have 'household' pets, I figure my snakes are household pets so I'm OK. I don't think my neighbours would agree.

I really don't know how this gentlemans alligator escaped but he had these animals and wasn't prepared to care for them. You need a primary enclosure, which should be escape proof and that needs to be in a secondary room which should be escape proof or extremely difficult to get out of. A six foot alligator/lion/hippo/burm should not be able to get to the house next door, period.

The reason this bill was created is because of escapes like this, actually I believe it was escaping lions or tigers and they added every know exotic and indigenous animal.

I'm done with my rant, I guess it sort of on topic. We as a herp community can not have any escapes and freak the public, the press is bad and will lead to restrictive legislation.

Originally Posted by wcreptiles

I really don't know how this gentlemans alligator escaped but he had these animals and wasn't prepared to care for them. You need a primary enclosure, which should be escape proof and that needs to be in a secondary room which should be escape proof or extremely difficult to get out of. A six foot alligator/lion/hippo/burm should not be able to get to the house next door, period.

The reason this bill was created is because of escapes like this, actually I believe it was escaping lions or tigers and they added every know exotic and indigenous animal.

The reason a lot of bills are created is a combination of escapes and the fact that many people have an innate fear of reptiles...well - those are more at the local level. At the State level, it is because exotics (for whatever reason) are brought to the attention of the high and mighty. At that level, it does not take much to create "outrage" or amazement, and the rights of the individual keepers are far outshadowed by the health and wellbeing of the constituency. The "threat" posed by exotics is obvious, of course, and it is therefore difficult to rationalize to anyone that does not derive enjoyment from this hobby why we should be allowed to continue to so. Arguments about proper housing, accepted/established practices, injury statistics, etc fall on deaf ears - these are snakes, lizards, and crocodilians, after all - especially when some bonehead has recently allowed an escape (or worse, a bite) that became a media event.

As for how the alligator escaped - I got the impression that it wasn't a pet...well, it wasn't a pet of the household it most recently escaped from, anyway. That person, according to the article, "rescues reptiles". My guess is that he accepted the alligators without considering, or possibly even being aware, that he didn't have the means to properly house them. I would think that somebody that deals with rescues would have enough knowledge of the escape abilities of any reptile to see flaws in housing situations BEFORE that happens and he loses one of his charges....but that's just me. I've had ball pythons and other harmless snakes temporarily get loose because I forgot to close a bin, lock a door, etc...but I've never had a crocodilian, large monitor, or large snake get out of my house (or worse, off my property). What a dumbass.

I'm glad I didn't take my hippopotamus to Ohio. Lol. Sounds funny but some people have some pretty extraordinary 'pets'.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru....php?&t=103643

Here's another "gentleman" allowing his water monitor to roam the neighborhood. Great press. I don't feel qualified plus I don't want to comment on the request for an opinion so I just wanted to reply to this thread so the comments only went to the contributors on this thread.

What is wrong with people? He brought this down on himself.