The exotic animals facility in Reynoldsburg was custom-built from the ground up – there was no template or model to base it on. Department of Agriculture Director David Daniels says the building the agency ended up with is flexible in its design and secure in its operations.

“This building is about 20,000 square feet. We have 30 large animal enclosures here. We have four primate enclosures. We have a room here that will house snakes and reptiles when that regulatory authority kicks in,” Daniels says.

The big animal cages are made of six gauge wire and have six padlocks each. A transport cage is locked into place against the cage opening to move the animal in. There are heavy steel panels separating the cages that can be opened from outside them, so an animal can be moved to the adjacent cage while its cage is cleaned and food and water is provided.

A cage must be closed and locked before another can be opened, and never is a caretaker and an animal inside a cage at the same time.

Daniels says if an animal would get out of its cage, there are 17 cameras and motion sensors that monitor the cages and take and send pictures to staff if there’s movement. Then there are gated locked doors inside the rooms and in the main area, and there are two exterior fences, the taller one 12 feet tall and electrified.

But Daniels says all that security isn’t just for the animals.

We are just as concerned about what’s in this building as what is outside this building. We want to make sure that there are, hate to say it, but while we’re worried about an animal getting out, we’re also worried about people getting in.

No animal will ever go outside. But the facility is climate controlled and has warm and cooler areas in each of the bigger enclosures.

There’s room to add some more cages if necessary, but the thought is that the facility will only be needed for around 10-15 years, because Ohio’s new exotic animals law bans new ownership of animals. Current owners will be able to keep their animals but not get new ones, and have to meet state standards for containing them or state veterinarian Tony Forshey says the state can take them and bring them here.

This is not a zoo. It’s more like a humane society or a rescue-type facility and so it’s for the temporary housing. It’s our intent to bring these animals in, give them the best care, make sure they’re healthy.

And Daniels restates that very clearly – it’s not a zoo, it’s a holding place for animals that have been seized or are in the process of being transferred out of state.

“This is a facility that we have to aid us in our regulatory responsibility over animals that are not permitted or are not cared for. When this is all said and done, I will not have access to this building. This will only be accessed to those who need to be back here,” Daniels says.

And Daniels also says there will be no public announcements when animals arrive at the facility – only law enforcement will be notified, Daniels says, to protect curious residents from trying to get inside to see them. The legislature allowed $3.5 million dollars to build the facility.

Daniels says it’s not completely done, but the contract guaranteed the building would cost $2.9 million. Until there are animals in it, Daniels says it’s impossible to estimate the daily operations cost.

They debated hundreds of proposals for new laws, and agave their approval to dozens. Today, we begin a multi-part series of year-in-review reports from our Statehouse news bureau about what happened in state government and politics. Click the play button above for Bill Cohen’s look at some of the major bills legislators approved, most of them with bi-partisan votes.

The judge in Columbus ruled Thursday the owners failed to prove constitutional rights were violated.

Seven owners had claimed the law forces them to join private associations with which they disagree and possibly give up their animals without compensation. They also challenged a requirement that animals be implanted with a microchip, which would allow the creatures to be identified if they get lost or escape.

Ohio officials have defended the law as a common sense measure to address the growing public safety problem of private ownership of exotic animals.

State lawmakers passed the tougher restrictions after a suicidal owner released dozens of creatures from his farm in Zanesville last year

The Dangerous and Restricted Animals Advisory Board plans to hold its first meeting Wednesday to set temporary housing rules for regulated animals, such as tigers, alligators and bears.

The panel will decide the proper size of the animals’ cages and how they should be maintained, among other rules. More permanent standards will be put in place when permits are required in 2014.

The law requires owners to register their exotic animals with Ohio officials by Nov. 5. If they don’t, owners could face a first-degree misdemeanor for the first offense, and a fifth-degree felony for each subsequent offense.

Sheriff Matt Lutz is scheduled today to brief leaders about what happened when a suicidal owner apparently released lions, tigers and other exotic animals that were killed by authorities near Zanesville last fall.

Lutz says the federal legislation would help authorities track the cats and conduct inspections.

The briefing is also expected to include actress and animal activist Tippi Hedren, who’s best known for being terrorized by crows in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Hedren keeps rescued big cats at her California preserve and helped put together the federal legislation.

His name is Thurman Mullett and he is the president of Mt. Hope Auction. His family has run the auction since 1985. They opened the exotic animal sales with bear cubs in 1990. I talked to Mullet about his thoughts about changes coming for exotic animals.

Mullet’s biggest concern is this ban will eventually lead to no one owning an exotic animal since once they won’t be able to breed them and once they die they can’t replace the animal.

Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation at a Statehouse ceremony Tuesday afternoon. Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna appeared at the signing, along with state lawmakers and other Ohio officials.

Regulatory efforts took on new urgency in October, when a suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals from his farm near Zanesville.

The measure, which takes effect in three months, would ban people from buying new dangerous exotic animals.

Current owners could keep their creatures by registering them with the state within 60 days of the bill’s effective date. Owners would also have to obtain a new state-issued permit by 2014 and adhere to strict new caretaking standards.

That’s because until Ohio’s governor signs the new regulations – expected soon – the state has among the nation’s weakest restrictions on exotic pets.

The state Legislature cleared a bill last week to immediately ban people from buying new dangerous animals. Once in effect, owners would have 60 days to register their creatures with the state.

The state’s veterinarian says Ohio is dealing with the unknown, and it’ll take time to find out how many animals are out there.

Efforts to regulate dangerous wildlife took on new urgency in October, when a suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals.

Efforts to strengthen the state’s law took on new urgency in October, when a suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals from his farm near Zanesville in eastern Ohio.

The Ohio House passed the measure on an 87-9 vote Tuesday. And the Senate then agreed to the House’s changes. Those revisions included lower permit fees and liability insurance requirements than the version that state senators passed last month.

The measure would ban new ownership of exotic animals, while allowing current owners to keep their pets by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and adhere to strict new caretaking standards.

Owners would be required to post signs alerting people to dangerous animals on the property.

The Zanesville Times Recorder and WHIZ-TV report Marian Thompson paid the taxes Friday morning. She faced possible foreclosure on her 70 acres of land in Zanesville.

Muskingum County Prosecutor Michael Haddox sent Thompson a letter in November warning of potential legal action. Court records show Thompson still owes more than $55,000 for two federal tax liens.

Thompson’s payment comes a week after two surviving leopards, two primates and a bear were returned to her farm. They had been kept at the Columbus zoo for months under a state quarantine order.

Thompson’s attorney told the newspaper Thursday he hadn’t seen the foreclosure documents and couldn’t comment.