Animal welfare groups are calling on the Ontario government to quickly move forward with a proposed law to regulate private zoos following the death of a B.C. woman mauled by a tiger.

The B.C. government vowed to pass a law restricting ownership of exotic animals after Tanya Dumstrey-Soos, 32, of 100 Mile House, B.C., died last week after a tiger at her boyfriend's exotic pet farm swiped her, severing an artery.

In Ontario, major metropolitan zoos are regulated, but others, such as so-called roadside zoos, are not.

"You don't need a licence to keep a tiger in Ontario and no training whatsoever," said Melissa Tkachyk of the World Society for the Protection of Animals. "Keeping a tiger on your property, it should be considered as dangerous as keeping a loaded gun."

Tkachyk hopes the death in B.C. serves as a wake-up call for Ontario and results in the quick passage of legislation proposed more than six months ago.

Liberal MPP David Zimmer introduced a private member's bill, Bill 154, last October that would require all zoos to be licensed and meet public safety standards, but the legislation is still waiting for second and third reading in the house.

At least six people have been seriously injured or killed by tigers over the past 12 years in Ontario.

Toronto Zoo director Bill Rapley agrees that legislation should be put in place not only to protect the public, but also to ensure exotic animals are kept in a healthy environment.

"[The animals] should only be in zoos that can meet the association standards," said Rapley.

Even some private zoo owners admit that regulation is necessary.

"There does need to be someone obviously overseeing things because these accidents can't keep on happening," says Pat Bergeron, who runs a private zoo near the southeastern Ontario city of Belleville.