Lions, tigers, bears ... goodbye?

Laws already restrict or forbid possession of exotic animals in Spokane County and the city, but now the Legislature is considering a statewide ban on owning certain wild pets.

Nancy Hill, director of Spokane County Animal Control, testified Wednesday in support of House Bill 1725. The legislation would make it illegal to own wild animals deemed "dangerous."

Hill said the problem surfaced in Spokane in 1989, when five or more lions were found to be living in private homes.

"We discovered at that time that it was legal in Spokane County for your pet cougar or lion to walk up and down the street and do whatever, but your dog had to be on a leash," she told members of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Others support the bill, too, but for dramatically different reasons.

A Bainbridge Island mother, Lynette Shelborn, gave emotional testimony in favor of the bill.

While clutching her 4-year-old daughter, Shelborn tearfully recounted the day her serval, an African cat the size of a Labrador retriever, pinned her little girl down, grasping the child's throat with its powerful jaws.

"If you would've witnessed what happened in my home, you would understand," she said.

Her daughter suffered four deep puncture wounds in her neck. Luckily, when Shelborn stepped toward the animal it released its grasp, freeing her daughter.

"My story is not unusual," Shelborn said, adding that the cat is now at Shambala Preserve, a California sanctuary.

Many wild animals are being bred for domestic trade, Hill said. "It's a national trend."

Pet cougars and lynx found in Spokane were purchased from breeders in Kansas and Montana, Hill said.

"You can't take them out of the wild, it's illegal," Hill said. "But something illegal happened along the way.

"Two of the ones recently came out of Kansas," Hill said, referring to Charlie and his brother, who she calls Charlie II.

The two were pet cougars belonging to Spokane County residents. The first Charlie bit the hand of a 5-year-old in 1996 and was killed so he could be tested for rabies. The owners bought a new cub after that, also named Charlie.

The cougar bite touched off the formation of an ordinance in Spokane County that regulates and licenses "inherently dangerous mammals and reptiles."

The city of Spokane subsequently banned the ownership of many exotic creatures.

There is no outright ban in unincorporated Spokane County, but House Bill 1725 would change that.

Certain animal owners would receive exemptions, including zoos and circuses.

Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane, said he signed the bill for personal reasons.

As a child, Wood read a book about a man who owned a cheetah, then wrote the author a letter. The author responded, telling Wood he would never take an animal out of the wild again, explaining they can go for years without an incident and then, "`Wham, they'll turn around and bite a child.'

"Ever since then, I thought this is something that should be illegal," Wood said.

John Huckabee, a veterinarian who testified Wednesday in favor of the bill, agreed.

"As a vet with considerable experience with wild animals and exotic pets, I would much prefer to deal with a wild animal presented from the wild - rather than an animal of the same species that's been caged for any length of time."

He said he knows what to expect from a wild animal but he's never quite sure what to expect from a "tamed" one.

The vet's testimony focused on the welfare and safety of both humans and animals, stressing that animals are better off left in their natural environment.

Steve Dauma from the Department of Fish and Wildlife told the committee of a family that reportedly kept a 3-foot crocodile in a wading pool, despite the fact that they had a small child.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

Restricted animals

Ownership of the following animals would be restricted under House Bill 1725:

Wolves (not wolf-hybrids).

Big cats such as cougars and lions (except domesticated cats and hybrids).

Bears.

Monkeys.

Gila monsters (poisonous lizards).

Alligators and crocodiles.

Monitors (big lizards).

Various pythons and vipers.

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