A new documentary by Michael Webber has been getting a lot of attention at film festivals this year. The Elephant in the Living Room brings the issue of privately owned lions and tigers and bears (and reptiles and other wild animals) to the big screen.
In an interview with CityBeat, Webber said exotic pet ownership may be shocking, but it’s not an obscure phenomenon. “I started paying attention and that’s when I realized this was the elephant in the living room. This big, enormous thing that’s going on in our country and no one is really recognizing it.”
Until now.
It’s no coincidence that the Dayton, Ohio, filmmaker aimed the camera at his own state. Ohio has some of the weakest exotic animal laws in the country, a flaw which gained national attention this summer when a bear killed his caretaker. Despite obvious and repeated negligence on the part of the bear’s owner, Sam Mazzola, authorities’ hands were tied because you can pretty much own whatever you want in Ohio. And Mazzola isn’t the only one whose choice of pets has caused problems.
A police officer in Frankfort, Kentucky, picked up a stray dog and brought her to the local humane society. The shelter employees, who presumably see dogs every day, took a look at this one and 