Ohio Code 935.16 – Escape of animal; notification
(A) If a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake escapes, the person that possesses the animal or snake immediately shall notify both of the following:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 935.16
- agriculture: includes farming; ranching; aquaculture; algaculture meaning the farming of algae; apiculture and related apicultural activities, production of honey, beeswax, honeycomb, and other related products; horticulture; viticulture, winemaking, and related activities; animal husbandry, including, but not limited to, the care and raising of livestock, equine, and fur-bearing animals; poultry husbandry and the production of poultry and poultry products; dairy production; the production of field crops, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees, flowers, sod, or mushrooms; timber; pasturage; any combination of the foregoing; the processing, drying, storage, and marketing of agricultural products when those activities are conducted in conjunction with, but are secondary to, such husbandry or production; and any additions or modifications to the foregoing made by the director of agriculture by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code. See Ohio Code 1.61
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Dangerous wild animal: means any of the following, including hybrids unless otherwise specified:
(1) Hyenas;
(2) Gray wolves, excluding hybrids;
(3) Lions;
(4) Tigers;
(5) Jaguars;
(6) Leopards, including clouded leopards, Sunda clouded leopards, and snow leopards;
(7) All of the following, including hybrids with domestic cats unless otherwise specified:
(a) Cheetahs;
(b) Lynxes, including Canadian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, and Iberian lynxes;
(c) Cougars, also known as pumas or mountain lions;
(d) Caracals;
(e) Servals, excluding hybrids with domestic cats commonly known as savannah cats. See Ohio Code 935.01
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Law enforcement officer: means a sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, police officer of a township or joint police district, marshal, deputy marshal, municipal police officer, or state highway patrol trooper. See Ohio Code 935.01
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Restricted snake: means any of the following:
(1) All of the following constricting snakes that are twelve feet or longer:
(a) Green anacondas;
(b) Yellow anacondas;
(c) Reticulated pythons;
(d) Indian pythons;
(e) Burmese pythons;
(f) North African rock pythons;
(g) South African rock pythons;
(h) Amethystine pythons. See Ohio Code 935.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(1) The sheriff of the county and the chief law enforcement officer of the township or municipal corporation where the escape occurred;
(2) The division of animal health in the department of agriculture by means of the twenty-four-hour telephone number that is maintained by the division.
(B)(1) A law enforcement officer or natural resources law enforcement officer may destroy a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake that has escaped and that poses a threat to public safety.
(2) A law enforcement officer or natural resources law enforcement officer that destroys an escaped dangerous wild animal or restricted snake pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section is not liable for damages in a civil action for any injury, death, or loss to person or property that allegedly arises from the destruction of the animal or snake.
(C) The person that possesses a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake that escapes is responsible for all reasonable costs associated with the capture or destruction of the animal or snake. The person shall reimburse the political subdivision that employs the law enforcement officer who captured or destroyed the dangerous wild animal or restricted snake for the costs incurred in capturing or destroying the animal or snake. However, if the law enforcement officer is a state highway patrol trooper or if a natural resources law enforcement officer captured or destroyed the dangerous wild animal or restricted snake, the person shall reimburse the state highway patrol or department of natural resources, as applicable, for those costs.
(D)(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, money collected under division (C) of this section shall be credited to a special fund, which is hereby created in the applicable political subdivision. Money in the special fund shall be used exclusively for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and rules.
(2) Money collected under division (C) of this section for costs incurred by a state highway patrol trooper or a natural resources law enforcement officer under this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the dangerous and restricted animal fund created in section 935.25 of the Revised Code.
(3) If law enforcement officers from more than one jurisdiction assist in the capture or destruction of a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake, the money collected shall be proportionally distributed to each political subdivision’s special fund and the dangerous and restricted animal fund, if applicable.