‘Pet’ Bear Kills Young Man

A bear owned by notorious Ohio animal exhibitor and convicted felon Sam Mazzola has mauled a 24-year-old man to death. PETA has campaigned against Mazzola’s cruel act for years as he took bears on the road and charged people to “wrestle” them or have their photos taken. His act left injured people and property damage in its wake. Mazzola was fined, and after 20 years of exploiting animals, federal authorities finally revoked his license to display animals. But because there are no laws prohibiting people from keeping wild and dangerous animals as “pets” in Ohio, Mazzola is still allowed to keep bears, tigers, and other animals.

Need I mention the chimpanzee who removed a woman’s face and fingers in Connecticut or the woman who was mauled by a bear who escaped from a menagerie in Ashtabula County, Ohio; forced his way into the woman’s home; knocked her to the floor; and attacked her? The list is long. The time is overdue for lawmakers to revamp the laws so people can’t keep tigers, bears, chimpanzees, and other wild animals in backyard pens and ramshackle cages.

Please join us in calling on Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to quickly sign the pending executive order that would ban the sale, purchase, breeding, and possession of many species of exotic animals in the state.

Written by Jennifer O’Conner