Tri-State CART is pleased to announce the formation of a new division; the Exotics Team, comprised of several Special Forces team members who have experience with and will receive ongoing specialized training in the handling of exotic cats, bears, monkeys, etc. as well as tranquilizer & stun gun training. Many also have law enforcement backgrounds. While the initial meeting took place in Eastgate in November of 2006, the most recent group meeting was held in Springboro, Ohio on December 9, 2011.
CART Exotics Team leader, Bill Cacciolfi, animal handler and trainer, is the owner of New World Expeditions, coordinating and leading animal expeditions & safaris to remote parts of the world. CART Exotics Team advisor, Tim Harrison of Dayton, former police officer, is the Director and speaker for an organization called Outreach for Animals and has recently produced the acclaimed film, Elephant in the Living Room. Both men have been active with exotic animal capture and relocation throughout Ohio and other states.
Ohio is 2nd (to Texas) in the country with the number of privately owned exotic animals, but with very little licensing or supervision. The recent grim situation in Zanesville in October, 2011 brought public focus on the need for regulation of these potentially dangerous animals. (In an emergency situation, approximately 50 lions, tigers, bears, apes, etc. were killed when it was discovered that they had been released in an area quite near to homes and children.)
