Black Bear in captivity at the Philadelphia Zoo
There has been another report of animal violence due to failed domestication of exotic pets. Brent Kandra, 24 died early Friday morning at Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Kandra was caretaker for the same bear for which he was killed. According to the coroner’s office, the preliminary cause of death was “sharp and blunt injuries to the body consistent with a bear attack.”
Sheriff’s Capt. James Drozdowski said after the attack, “We don’t know whether something startled the bear or what prompted the bear to get aggressive with the caretaker.” According to the bear’s owner, Sam Mazzola, “Brent loved the bear very much and I’m sure the bear loved him very much.”
Regardless to how much a human loves and adores certain animals, they cannot change the nature of a wild animal. This recent attack reinforces the concerns of many with the nation’s negligent restrictions on exotic pets. Ohio is one of the leading states with injuries and deaths caused by exotic animals. Ohio ranks fifth in the nation with injuries or deaths of failed domestication of exotic animals.
At the request and added pressure from the Humane Society and agricultural lobbyist, Ohio state officials are drafting regulations on ownership of dangerous exotic animals. Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States said “Tigers, wolves, bears in a suburban Lorain County community: It is a disaster waiting to happen.” Sam Mozzola owns at least one of each of those animals.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture regulates animal exhibitions for public viewing; however, they do not regulate private possession. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service require permits for “native endangered and threatened species” and those animals sold across state borders.