Pet Cougar Loose in Brown County, Ohio

Most eastern states and Canadian provinces now ban private ownership of cougars or require the “owner” of the exotic animal to obtain a license or permit or to register the animal with state or local authorities to privately possess the animal.  As of 2009, only two states (Wisconsin & West Virginia) and one eastern Canadian province (Ontario) had no regulations on private ownership of cougars.  Four eastern states required a permit–Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Ohio. (Source: Big Cat Rescue – http://bigcatrescue.org/laws/statelawsexoticcats.htm )

http://www.local12.com/mostpopular/story/Brown-County-Mountain-Lion-Was-Flea-Market/HQzbneuz1UW2wwme7INYqw.cspx

LOCAL12 – WKRC Cincinnati

Brown County Mountain Lion Was Flea Market Purchase

The Brown County Sheriff today released new information about a mountain lion that’s reportedly running loose in that area.

Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger says a Mount Orab resident bought the animal from a flea market in Lucasville, Ohio. It escaped about a month ago. The owner planned to get rid of the cat because it had gotten too aggressive.

Officials got calls Wednesday and Thursday mornings saying the animal had been seen around the Rumpke Landfill off Beyers Road near Route 68.

Deputies were sent to the area but were unable to find the mountain lion. Wildlife officials are aware that the lion is loose.

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The sheriff’s office said it has received information that a person who lived on Western Run Avenue in Mount Orab owned a mountain lion that they had purchased from a flea market in Lucasville.  Source: http://www.wlwt.com/news/23699614/detail.html

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Allan Wright with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) says considering exotic animals can be purchased at many flea markets, emergency officials not finding a mountain lion doesn’t mean that it’s not on the loose.

“A lot of these animals aren’t regulated as far as state regulations go,” Wright said. “And as long as you know they got the paperwork, they can propagate them in captivity and sell them to anybody out here.”

Wright says this can often lead to many problems for rural areas.

“People buy little baby animals and they all grow up and they don’t want them anymore,” Wright said. “And there’s no outlet for them, so, they just go out and turn them loose.”

For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457
Carole.Baskin@BigCatRescue.org
http://www.BigCatRescue.org

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