Committee hears bill to let wildlife rehabilitation centers access euthanasia drugs

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard sponsor testimony March 25, 2025, on Senate Bill 152, legislation that would allow licensed wild animal rehabilitation facilities in Ohio access to medications used for humane euthanasia of severely injured or diseased wildlife. Senator Brenner provided the testimony.

Senator Brenner told the committee that in 2023 Ohio’s Division of Wildlife reported 34,044 orphaned and injured animals admitted to centers statewide and that “current code does not permit wild animal rehabilitation facilities to have access to medications necessary for humane euthanasia of severely, injured and diseased wildlife.” He said the bill would add those facilities to the list of entities permitted to obtain euthanasia drugs and would require they “comply with all safety standards and other that other entities with access to euthanasia medications must follow,” including maintaining personnel who have completed an euthanasia technical certification course.

The sponsor said the Ohio Wildlife Center in Shawnee Hills (near the Columbus Zoo) brought the issue to his attention and that the problem dates in part to regulatory changes made about 14 years ago to respond to the opioid crisis that inadvertently excluded wildlife rehabilitators. “This legislation would ensure that wild animal rehabilitation facilities across Ohio are able, to best care for our native wildlife,” Senator Brenner said.

During committee questions, Ranking Member Hicks Hudson asked what happens now when a facility cannot perform a euthanasia and is not adjacent to a facility that can. Senator Brenner and the committee discussed logistics and that animals are sometimes sent elsewhere — a process the sponsor described as a “logistics problem” for facilities that receive animals from across the state.

No amendment or vote was recorded on SB152 during the March 25 hearing. The item was taken as sponsor testimony only; the committee did not advance the bill that day.

The bill would require technical certification and adherence to safety protocols for facilities granted access to euthanasia medications; specifics about certification providers, licensing changes, or statutory references were not provided in the testimony and are not specified in the transcript. The sponsor offered to work with the committee and to provide the Ohio Wildlife Center as an additional witness if the committee requests more detail.

Next steps: SB152 remains at the hearing stage pending any further committee action or amendment.