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Kansas Lays Down The Law After Hilderbrand Case
18 April 2006
by Anai Rhoads Ford
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AnaiRhoads.org - Kansas
Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill Monday that effectively bans
any ownership and possession of wild animals such as bears, bobcats,
jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers, and all venomous snakes, as pets.
Bill S 578 states that all exhibitors will be required to have a
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license in
addition to state regulations which include $250,000 in liability
insurance and a no-nonsense policy that expects those who supervise
and/or own the animals to keep them from ever coming in
contact with the general public.
The demand to create such a ban became more prominent after the
tragic death of 17 year-old Haley Hilderbrand made headlines in the
summer of 2005.
Hilderbrand was attacked, as she posed for high school photos, by a 7
year-old wild Bengal tiger that resided at the Lost Creek Animal
Sanctuary.
"This legislation was not just a reaction to Haley's death, several
incidents have occurred over the years in Kansas and in many other
states both children and adults have been killed or seriously
injured. Haley's death was just the most recent tragedy and hopefully
the last in Kansas," Hilderbrand's parents said in a recent
statement.
The sanctuary, which began in 1994, was owned and operated by Doug
Billingsly. It provided 80 acres for a menagerie of exotic and wild
animals, including a rare-cross between a lion and a tiger.
There have been six serious attacks since 1999 in the State. Since
1990, in the United States alone, big cats have killed 13 people and
mauled nearly 100 others.
There are approximately 10,000 tigers held as pets in the U.S. -- and
only an estimated 4,900 in the wild. According to the Humane Society
of the United State (HSUS),
accredited zoos house about 200 cheetahs, 170 cougars, 90 jaguars,
140 leopards, 300 lions, and 450 tigers.
©2006 Anai Rhoads Ford. Reproduction must be authorised in writing
by author only. Altering, redistributing, or selling this material is
strictly prohibited.
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