(CNN) -- Exotic animals should live in the wild, not be exploited in profit-motivated zoos -- or worse â€” as "pets" or backyard oddities by people who have a deeply misguided sense of dominion or ownership. What happened in Ohio on Tuesday and Wednesday has drawn dramatic attention to the private possession of exotics, an issue that is a major component of Born Free USA's mission to protect wildlife. On Wednesday, 56 exotic animals â€” including lions, tigers, bears, giraffes and wolves â€” were freed from their captivity at a rural residence outside Zanesville. Police report the animals' "owner," 62-year-old Terry Thompson, let the animals out of their cages before he killed himself. Forty-nine of the animals -- including 18 tigers and 17 lions -- were shot dead by law enforcement officers.
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Will Travers: Exotic animals must not be exploited as "pets" or backyard oddities
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Travers: Ohio slaughter of 48 wild animals, including 18 tigers and 17 lions, is appalling
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Ohio has a record of violent encounters between animals and people, he says
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"Owning" exotic animals inexcusable, he says, and also puts human lives at risk
Ohio is one of a handful of states with woefully few regulations on the books to govern such questionable close contact with wildlife, and @placeholder has been pushing for years to get a stronger law enacted in the state.