美国夫妇被勒令交出养了33年的宠物熊.docVIP

Ohio Couple Asked To Give Up Pet Bear Living With Them For 33 Years Archie is a 39-year-old bear?living as a pet?with an Ohio family for the past three decades. The pet bear, which is now in the twilight of its life, faces a new threat, after officials from the Ohio Department of Agriculture told the owners to surrender the bear to them. Thanks to a new law passed in the state back in 2012, the bear which has been living with Jeff Gillium for the past 33 years suddenly turns out to be illegal. According to?USA Today, the Ohio Department of Agriculture has served a notice to Jeff Gillium and his wife, Debbie Gillium, saying that they must either get a permit to keep the bear with them or surrender the animal to them. The other option the family has is to transfer the bear out of the state. The decision of the ODA is based on the Dangerous Wild Animal Act passed by Ohio State back in 2012, which prohibits casual ownership of wild animals in the state. Jeff Gillium says he has had Archie as his pet bear since the bear was just 6-years-old. He had rescued the bear from a “horrible situation” where the bear was living in a cage just four feet high. Now, Gillium’s greatest worry is if his old friend would be able to live out his last days with him. Archie is now nearly 40-years-old, a ripe old age for bears. “The ODA says they’re going to come out and use a tranquilizer. That might kill him. My only other option is to kill him myself,” said Gillium. It was last week that the couple received a letter from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Erica Hawkins, an official at the ODA, explained the situation. “The Dangerous Wild Animal Act was passed in 2012 to prohibit casual dangerous wild animal ownership in Ohio. The law provided a reasonable opportunity for existing owners to obtain a permit to keep their animals and this owner did not comply. If relinquished as requested, the Department’s animal health veterinarians will work to identify an appropriate, permanent home for