Mother of Ohio bear attack victim writes governor in support of statewide exotic pet ban

Mother of Ohio man killed by bear favors pet ban

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The mother of an Ohio man who was fatally mauled by a bear has thrown her support behind an exotic pet ban being written in the state.

Deirdre Herbert says in a letter dated Saturday to Gov. Ted Strickland that keeping wild animals as pets is a “prescription for more tragedies.” The Humane Society of the United States, which is pushing for the ban, posted her letter on its website.

Twenty-four-year-old Brent Kandra died after an Aug. 19 attack as he fed the bear owned by another man at a suburban Cleveland animal facility.

Herbert urges Strickland to closely examine whether current owners of dangerous pets — such as bears, lions, tigers, chimpanzees and big snakes — should be able to keep the animals after the ban takes effect.