CLEVELAND -- In February, a frenzied chimpanzee attacked a woman in Connecticut. The victim is being treated for devastating, and near-fatal injuries at the Cleveland Clinic.

So NewsChannel5 investigated and found there's not a single law in the state of Ohio that prevents your neighbor from putting a chimp, or even a 500-pound tiger, right in the back yard.

The 5 On Your Side undercover investigation found hundreds of people from all over the country coming to Ohio for exotic pet auctions like the one in Mt. Hope.

Inside, everything from lions to bears are bought and sold. And it's all legal.

"There's no state law that prevents you from owning or buying anything in Ohio," Dean Vickers of the U.S. Humane Society said.

The U.S Humane Society worries that wild animals could wind up in neighborhoods, and it's been concerned for years about what's being sold at these auctions.

Vickers said, "Are they cute and cuddly? Sure. But they're still wild animals and you still can't control what they're going to do and when they're going to do it."

Born Free U.S.A. -- another animal rights group -- said exotic animals can be deadly.

Nicole Paquette of Born Free U.S.A. said, "Exotic animals have attacked and actually killed children and other individuals."

Rachel Supplee was attacked by a bear that escaped from an Ashtabula barn three years ago.

Supplee's daughter said, "I got lunchmeat out of the fridge. (The bear) followed me in the kitchen after I got it away from her. My mom got a chance to go out of the window and I jumped out the window.”

Incredibly, both mother and daughter survived.

Exotic animal owners said banning the sale of exotics is not the answer.

"Responsible ownership is very, very important. (If) you're going to have these animals, you've got to be responsible. That's the bottom line," one exotic animal owner said.

The Mt. Hope auction would not allow our cameras inside, but its owner defended the sale of these animals.

The auction owner said, "You can't control everything that goes, but anything that we sell here we have a record of it. Our USDA officials, our Division of Wildlife will come in. They can access anything they want at all times."

But animal rights groups argue that owning exotics -- even if they're kept as pets for years -- only increases the risk of attack.

Key Points:

• Ownership of primates is banned in 21 states ... but is legal in Ohio
• NewsChannel5 found 50 bear breeders across the state