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Harrison from OH is back with his BS
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by tigers9 on May 1, 2008
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http://www.whiotv.com/news/16080722/detail.html
Are Exotic Pets A Dangerous Problem In The Miami Valley?
Jill Del Greco, Reporter
POSTED: 9:51 am EDT April 30, 2008
UPDATED: 6:00 pm EDT May 1, 2008
MIAMI VALLEY -- A giant alligator sits motionless by a pool of calm water, a cougar licks his paws under the sun of a warm April day, and two grown tigers pace inside a fenced-in enclosure.
All four animals share a common history.
They were all owned as pets by different Miami Valley residents and have been rescued by Preble County’s Heaven’s Corner Zoo.
Throughout the years, workers at Heaven’s Corner, in West Alexandria, have taken in exotic pets that have either become too big or have gotten loose from their residential owners.
Heaven's Corner Zoo Opens May 3rd.
Chad Nawrocki Talks About Alligators As Pets
Tim Harrison Talks About Exotic Pets
Cindy Turk Describes Finding a Snake In Her Bathroom
“If you have the experience and the compound to take care of an animal like that, I see no problem with it,” said zoo volunteer Scott Trochelman. “But to have one in an apartment in Dayton? No. These animals are killers in the wild and in captivity.”
Despite attempts to educate residents about the danger of owning exotic animals, like venomous snakes and wild cats, local animal expert Tim Harrison said many are ignoring the warnings. He said exotic pet owners are putting themselves and their neighbors at risk.
City Of Dayton Exotic Pet Ordinance
“I’ve never heard of a happy ending with anyone having a large predator as a pet, never a happy ending,” said Harrison, who is the president of Outreach For Animals, based in Oakwood.
Harrison, who is also an Oakwood police officer, has rescued hundreds of exotic animals that have escaped from their Miami Valley owners over the past several years, and he said the danger continues to grow.
“Taipans from Australia, deadly snakes, tigers – I’ve had four big cat calls in the last three months,” Harrison said during an interview with News Center 7 in April.
In February, Kettering resident Cindy Turk found a Burmese python under her bathroom sink.
“I just screamed. I was crying,” Turk said.
Turk and her family said they suspect the large snake escaped from a neighboring apartment.
“We think it got loose, it came up through the pipes,” Turk said.
According to Harrison, Burmese pythons kill more children under the age of 16 than any other snake.
Harrison said exotic pets also put law enforcement officers at risk. Last year, authorities investigating an alleged methamphetamine lab in Warren County came face to face with a grown Burmese python, and in February, U.S. Marshals found two alligators while serving a search warrant in Dayton.
In Ohio’s major cities, including Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, owning an exotic pet is illegal, but in most rural and suburban areas it is not.
A search of April classified ads turned up alligators, lions, anacondas and piranhas for sale, and the internet also makes it shockingly easy to purchase exotic animals, such as venomous snakes.
Chad Nawrocki, who legally owns and sells alligators out of his Butler County home, said he believes exotic pets are only dangerous if they have uneducated owners.
“I’ll ask a lot of questions before I sell and alligator, just because I don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands,” Nawrocki said.
But Harrison believes too many exotic pets are falling into the wrong hands, which is why he is working on a campaign to outlaw exotic pets statewide.
“They’re wild animals. (Pet owners) think they are going to tame them, but they don’t want to be tamed,” Harrison said. “If you really want to protect your neighborhood, don’t bring these things into them.”
News Center 7 attempted to contact a local organization that works to protect the right of residents to own exotic pets, but our phone calls were not returned.
EXOTIC ANIMAL SAFETY: What To Do If You See An Exotic Animal
What would you do if you saw a tiger walking through your neighborhood?
It has happened in the Miami Valley before, and local animal expert Tim Harrison believes it could happen again.
If you see an exotic cat, Harrison said the worst thing you can do is run.
“Stay calm and walk slowly away facing the animal,” Harrison said. “Never turn your back, just slowly work your way to a place where you feel safe, and call police.”
If you find a snake, Harrison said you should not touch it, and call authorities.
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RE: Harrison from OH is back with his BS
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by Aries54 on May 3, 2008
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Where the heck to these people come up with this sh*t?! Burms kill more kids under 16? What is that about? I couldnt tell you the last time I heard of a kid getting killed by a burm. But I CAN tell you how many pit bull attacks I've heard about. I can tell you about a 14 year old getting killed from her horse kicking her. And how did a burm crawl up pipes?? How small was this thing? How big were the pipes? Dang,...this crap just makes me mad. The guy with the gators is correct,....you need to know what you're doing at all times. Idiots are the ones that get killed. It's common sense people.........oh wait,.I forgot,....that's something that many people dont have any more. Do I think that my burms and retics can hurt me? Yes, if they wanted. And if I didnt know what I was doing. Do I let them get close to my 3 month old son? Hell no! It's common sense!
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RE: Harrison from OH is back with his BS
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by tigers9 on May 3, 2008
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It is not correct statement that Burms kill more kids than any other ‘captive’ snake, however,they tie with Rock pythons, it is not as scary when you get all the facts and get it in the right context instead of Harrison scaremongering propaganda. Only 2 kids were ever killed by captive constrictor snake in the USA , one by Burm, and ome kid by Rock, , however, parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter, as it was bad parenting, not any different than if they let the kid run unattended in busy freeway.What Harrison is doing is not telling the complete story, manipulayting data to fit his story.
Burm case was 8 year old girl in 2001 in PA, the Rock was boy in 1999 in Illinois.
See here:
http://www.rexano.org//SafetyFrame.htm
<Snip>
Two of the deaths caused by large constrictors occurred to the children of the snake owners, at their own home, resulting in the parents being rightfully charged with child endangerment, some also with reckless endangerment and involuntary manslaughter. The remaining five fatalities were owners themselves, whom have accepted and know extremely well the potential risk of their hobby (occupational hazard?).
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