Appeals Court Panel Upholds Exotic Animal Law

A three-judge panel at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has upheld the state's new law on exotic animal ownership. The panel rejected a challenge by seven owners who say the law is too stringent and forces them to join associations with which they disagree. The panel says the owners' constitutional claims lack merit. Their lawsuit also challenged a requirement to implant animals with a microchip to allow for identification if they escape or get lost. Tougher restrictions were enacted after a man in 2011 released dozens of creatures from his farm in Zanesville and then took his own life.