Story by Neil Beschle
Photos by Alex Stoltze
Illustration by Anna Helland
The Nez Percé tribes of the Pacific Northwest called the American black bear a “yaka.” Hugh Reed of Mitchell, Oregon, calls his bear Henry.
At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Reed could be called a bear of a man, but he is no match for his beloved pet, who outweighs him by nearly 600 pounds. In the more than 10 years Reed has owned Henry, he’s had a few close calls with his furry companion and has the scars to prove it. Henry’s violent outbursts against Reed have been caused during excitable playtime and, in one instance, over a box of cookies Reed was feeding him.
Henry once resided at Reed’s gas station, greeting customers from an enclosure near the gas pumps. After years spent as one of the area’s uncommon tourist attractions, Henry now passes his days at the Reed family ranch.
While most pet owners stick to cats, dogs, hamsters, and fish, there are some like Reed who dare to invite more intimidating creatures into their homes.
As of January 1, 2011, the Oregon Department of Agriculture no longer issues new permits for the private ownership of exotic animals deemed to be potentially dangerous. Senate Bill 391 phases out the ownership of felines, canines, and bears not indigenous to the state, as well as wolves, primates, and members of the crocodile family. These select creatures are no longer sold within Oregon’s borders, with a few exceptions including zoologists, wildlife sanctuaries, and disabled people who need authorized service monkeys. When the ban went into effect, exotic pet owners across Oregon howled their disapproval.
Owners may adore their exotic pets, but their reputation in Oregon has not gone unscathed. The 2002 escape of a pet alligator in Beaverton initially prompted Senate Bill 391. In the following years, the legislation gained popularity with each new report of an exotic pet on the loose. One such incident involved a Siberian lynx that in 2005 escaped its owner’s Clackamas home, entered a neighboring yard, and mauled a six-year-old girl.
Grabbing a brick off the ground, Tanya Applegate rushed to her daughter’s aid, hitting the lynx several times before it released the girl. County sheriffs arrived at the scene where they shot and killed the large cat. While the girl did not suffer any serious injuries, officials say the fact that the lynx had been declawed probably saved her life.
One of the most notorious exotic pet scenarios gone wrong occurred across the country in Stamford, Connecticut. In 2009, Charla Nash arrived at the home of her friend Sandra Herold to find Herold’s enraged pet chimpanzee in the driveway. In an effort to help Herold coax Travis, the 14-year-old, 200-pound male chimp, back into his cage, Nash rushed to her friend’s aid.
Travis pounced upon Nash the moment she set foot out of her car. In an effort to get her pet off her friend, Herold stabbed Travis in the back with a butcher knife and called the police. When Officer Frank Chiafari arrived on the scene, Travis confronted the police car in the driveway, knocking off a side-view mirror and ripping open the police car door. Having nowhere to turn, Officer Chiafari fired four shots into the burly primate, which then retreated back into the house where he died in his cage soon after.
Travis had previously been considered a well-behaved, loyal pet. He had found success as an animal actor, appearing on American television shows and commercials, including ads for Coca-Cola and Old Navy. He knew how to dress himself, could open doors using keys, and had developed a fondness for ice cream. Despite his usually charming behavior and television stardom, however, Travis will now best be remembered for the vicious assault that left Nash blind with brutal facial injuries and no hands. In May 2011, she underwent a 20-hour face and hand transplant led by a 30-person medical team. Only the third such surgery to take place in the US, Nash’s face transplant was successful while the transplanted hands were later removed due to post-operation complications.
Horrific incidents like Nash’s often cause those unfamiliar with exotic pets to ask: Why not just get a cat or a dog?
“Part of it is the need to express their individuality—to have something different and unique,” says Mark Hlavinka, an exotic animal handler. Hlavinka works at Brad’s World Reptiles in Corvallis, Oregon. Located just 15 miles away from Oregon State University, Brad’s World Reptiles is one of the largest reptile breeding and research facilities in the Pacific Northwest.
While standing in the facility’s snake room, Hlavinka explains that sometimes fondness isn’t enough to ensure the safety of both the animal and the people around it.
“For the most part, it is not necessarily abuse as it is neglect—lack of proper caging, proper diet, and proper food,” he says about the reason attacks like Travis’ can occur. “What may start out the size of your hand could end up being the size of your car.”
Suddenly, an overwhelming and alarming sound engulfs the room where Hlavinka is speaking. In the corner of a large glass encasement, a rattlesnake coils, peering out at its handler in a defensive stance. The tip of its tail gyrates, creating a chilling rattle that makes one heed its deadly intentions.
As Hlavinka makes his way across the room toward the rattlesnake, he admits that not all pet owners acquire their companions for the right reasons.
“I’ve known guys who get big snakes because they thought it was macho or cool. I don’t know how much they even liked the animal; it was more of a show-off factor,” he says. “But I’ve also known a lot of guys who say, ‘Hey look at my new cool gun!’ and it’s the same kind of idea.”
Whatever the initial motives in purchasing the animal, organizations like nonprofit Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership (REXANO) seek to protect the rights of exotic pet owners. Zuzana Kukol and Scott Shoemaker founded REXANO to represent exotic pet owners like themselves. Both believe that as long as animal welfare and public safety laws are being followed, the private ownership of any animal should be protected in the US.
A 9-foot tall perimeter fence lines the borders of the REXANO property, complete with V-arm barbwire along the top and electric wiring running throughout. All of the feline and canine cages on the property are equipped with double-entry areas and are built with 6- and 9-gauge chain link fencing. These are just a few of the precautions that Kukol and Shoemaker take to ensure the safety of their animals and fellow humans.
“There are good and bad pet owners, zoos, and sanctuaries,” Kukol says. “What matters is how you take care of the animal.”
At REXANO, Kukol and Shoemaker care for a number of exotic animals including 19 canines and a number of large felines. One of their most notable residents is a 500-pound lion named Bam Bam. For Kukol, it was a natural progression to become the caretaker of so many exotic pets.
“I was involved with different animals all my life: horses, cows, reptiles, dogs, and eventually exotic cats,” she says. “It wasn’t something I decided on overnight.”
While the average citizen doesn’t have a tiger in his or her backyard, a recent survey suggests it’s not as rare as may be expected. According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition (CWAPC), there are currently more than 3,000 primates, 10,000 to 20,000 big cats, and 8.8 million reptiles living in the US. The American population of pet tigers, the CWAPC adds, is between 5,000 to 7,000 tigers, twice as large as the wild tiger population in Asia. These numbers, however, are only estimates as some states are more lenient on keeping tabs on exotic animals.
Two months before the January 1 ban was passed, the Oregon Department of Agriculture had 49 permits issued for 88 exotic animals. The majority of the permits were for exotic felines and primates, including an ocelot and Rhesus macaques. Because their permits were filed before January 1, 2011, these owners are allowed to keep their pet until it dies or is sold.
Nationwide, many states have bans similar to Oregon’s with only a handful having no regulation on private exotic pet ownership. In October 2011 one of these states, Ohio, found itself the center of national scrutiny when 56 bears, lions, tigers, and other animals escaped from a private menagerie. Local authorities ended up shooting 50 of the escapees; the remaining six were caught and transported to the Columbus Zoo. In the wake of the event, Ohio’s lack of regulation led organizations like the Humane Society of the United States to call for new laws regulating ownership of exotic animals.
Whatever the future holds for exotic pets in Ohio and the rest of the country, owners will continue to defend their right to keep their animal companions.
“Qualities that make somebody a responsible exotic animal owner are the same that make somebody a responsible parent or a responsible domestic animal owner,” says Kukol at REXANO. “Only have as many kids, domestic animals, or exotic animals that you can safely and comfortably provide for on your own, both financially and time-wise, as many are long- term, multiple-year responsibilities.”
 
 
 
 
 

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