45. THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM

we don't see any elephants in this film about exotic animals raised in captivity.  we meet tim harrison of ohio, in his job of public safety.  tim reponds when dangerous exotic animals raised in captivity either get loose, are set free, or who injure their owner or someone else.  tim got involved when a friend of his died at the jaws of the pet snake he raised in captivity.  we see news clips of wild animal stories, such as a chimp attacking hit owner, a girl attacked by an alligator, numerous pythons or other deadly snakes set loose into nature.  during a hunt for a wild cougar in southern ohio, tim laments, "am i a hero or a villian?  nothing good comes out of my dealings with big cats."  tim is noticeably shaken by this revelation.  ohio was one of a handful of states without a law concerning private ownerrship of deadly exotic animals.  tim wanted to change that.  in a part of the film we see an exotic animal auction in the heart of amish country; certainly bizarre.  however, the bulk of the fim revolves around terry.  suffering depression after a back injury, he chose to buy a lion and then got another. lambert and lacey.  lambert escaped his enclosure one night and was on the highway, attacking cars.  terry had to better control this animal and resorted to keeping the two in a horse-type trailer.  tim gets to know terry, lambert and lacey.  while most of us would say, "what is he, crazy to keep lions?", we see how deeply sentimental terry is regarding his animals.  there are twists and turns in this story; it felt suspenseful, so i don't want to share too much.  tim tries to locate an appropriate environment for this small pride, as terry deeply considers his life without his animals.  there is DEEP emotion here!
so, as you consider how much that pet dog or cat means to you and your family, at least some owners of dangerous, exotic animals feel the very same way.  after the story unfolds, we do learn that the governor of ohio signs a law preventing private ownership of exotic animals, a triumph for tim harrison.  for so many, pets make life worth living.  hard to believe when it's a snake or alligator for sure, but not very hard at all when you see terry with his lions.