MARION STAR (Ohio) 21 June 06 City seeks ban on 'Exotic Pets' - Yes, lions and tigers and bears on Council's exotic animal list (John Jarvis)
Marion: Creatures like the dead one a Cherry Street woman recently stumbled upon in her yard have found their way onto Marion City Council's agenda again.
Unofficially identified by a zoology professor as a python, or constrictor snake, the specimen found is about 3.5 feet long, too short to be banned under an ordinance council is considering.
Discussing the discovery, Rich Bradley of Ohio State University at Marion said such legislation might be wise, but difficult to impose.
"It's not a bad idea to consider banning people from having pets that would be a potential danger to neighbors and others in the community," Bradley said. "The problem with any regulation is it's only as good as its enforcement. How are you going to find out if somebody's got something?"
A similar ordinance to prohibit the harboring of exotic animals failed by one vote to receive the five votes needed to pass at a March 13 meeting, when three council members were absent. Councilman Scott Schertzer, who proposed the ordinance be considered again, said the three council members who were absent at the third and final reading of the previous ordinance told him they would support another attempt.
"I said, 'OK. Let's bring it back this summer,'" Schertzer said. "If it's a nuisance now, it'll be a nuisance in the future."
The proposed ordinance received a first reading by council at its meeting June 12. Council could suspend its rules and vote on the legislation without three readings, but Schertzer said he would like it to receive three readings prior to a vote. The second reading will be June 26.
Schertzer introduced the legislation at a meeting of council's legislation, codes and regulations committee in October. The committee discussed the topic less than a month after the Sept. 15 bite of a western diamondback rattlesnake put licensed snake breeder Michael Jolliff, then a Silver Street resident, in the hospital for three days. Jolliff, who has since moved, did not respond to Marion Star inquiries for comment about the incident.
Aware of concerns that enforcement might cost the city money it doesn't have to appropriate, Schertzer said the city would not hire an agent to enforce the ban, instead relying on the community to inform it of any concerns.
"It would come from complaints in the neighborhood," he said, adding that he has had a "couple anonymous calls" from residents worried about retribution from owners
City seeks ban on 'Exotic Pets'