New "exotic" animal ban in MN

I found this article interesting, only because it seems that due to problems with a TIGER AND A BEAR, you now have to pay to have a permit to be allowed to keep non-venomous snakes....

Mower County says no to exotic animals
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Updated: 03-28-2006 07:05:50 PM


(KAAL) -- If you want to own a lion, tiger or bear, you better find someplace other than Mower County.

Commissioners took action today to ban all such animals in addition to primates and other exotic animals.

Some unusual animals including non-poisonous snakes, wolves, coyotes and crosses of those canines, can be kept, however, if the owner applies and pays a fee.

The ordinance was taken in response to the sheriff's past problems with BEARCAT Hollow. One girl was bitten by a tiger, and an escaped bear caused property damage when prior owners operated that Racine animal farm.

All the exotic animals were shipped to South Dakota after the former owners vacated.

Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi says, "once those animals left our county, we didn't want any more to replace those and we definitely saw the new landowner as trying to accomplish that task. So we tried to nip that in the bud as soon as possible so we didn't have these issues keep presenting themselves."

Cities and towns within Mower County are responsible for enacting their own exotic animal ordinances.

Link to article: http://www.kaaltv.com/article/view/98065/

Tiger bites girl, they ban lions, tigers, and bears. AND snakes? I understand the wolf and coyote(I was once attacked by a wolf), but non-poisonous snakes? How in the world did they get mixed in with LARGE MAMMALS? They could have easily banned the landowner too(a mammal!), but NOOOOO, take out the snakes with the LARGE MAMMALS. We are all aware at how damaging a non-poisonous snake bite is. I see them in the hospital all the time!!!

Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi says, "once those animals left our county, we didn't want any more to replace those and we definitely saw the new landowner as trying to accomplish that task. So we tried to nip that in the bud as soon as possible so we didn't have these issues keep presenting themselves."

Think about this guys situation. He buys property and then he's facing laws prohibiting what he apparently intended to do with the property before he even gets settled.