Muskingum County Sheriff To Testify On National Exotic Animal Regulations

The release of more than 50 exotic animals from a Muskingum County farm made national news headlines. It's a story few people will ever forget.

The incident led to a change in how Ohio handles exotic animals, and now, it could change national regulations.

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz is heading to Washington to testify in favor of a bill that would crackdown on exotic animal ownership.

Lutz hopes his insight about a night he'll never forget will help lawmakers make a change.

"It was a very chaotic experience, traumatic for some of our people," said Lutz while at the airport.

Lutz said he remembers it like it was yesterday. He said that includes the chaos, the calls, and the carnage.

It's a situation that he hopes will never be repeated.

The sheriff said he jumped at the opportunity to share his insight about how he handled the Thompson farm animal release.

He's ready to rally in support of a new federal bill aimed at stopping the breeding and possession of big cats, including lions and tigers.

"Hopefully, they realize the importance of having animal legislation on the books and these many states could be faced with what we were," added Lutz.

Lutz said now that Ohio has taken action, he hopes congress will follow suit.

The sheriff said he was asked to testify by the International Fund of Animal Welfare.

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