Tigers as pets

This story about a tiger attack has me scratching my head.

[Grant] Oly, who keeps Siberian tigers on his rural Goodhue County property, backed them off long enough to drag [Allison] Asher, 37, of Minneapolis, to safety. She was in serious condition Thursday in a Rochester hospital with a gash in her neck, a mangled leg and cuts and bites.

Oly, meanwhile, was sitting in a Goodhue County jail cell, facing misdemeanor charges that he violated a county zoning ordinance and two state laws in keeping the exotic animals. He is scheduled to appear in court this morning.

It's the second time in a year that Oly, 48, has faced charges in connection with keeping tigers on his land, in the Mississippi River valley about 65 miles south of the Twin Cities.

In 2004, a Goodhue County jury found Oly guilty of violating the county's zoning ordinance by having eight tigers -- five more than allowed. He recently served 45 days in jail for violating terms of his probation.

Goodhue County Sheriff Dean Albers said Thursday that seven tigers were still on the property when deputies arrived late Wednesday.

Let me get this straight, a person who is not specially trained in handling tigers can have up to three of them on his property? And if he violates that law, he is guilty of only a misdemeanor? I'm generally a libertarian, but that is crazy.