Horror, resignation at killing of Ohio animals

AP via YahooNews ^ | October 20, 2011 | ANDY BROWNFIELD and KANTELE FRANKO

[Enchante]

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Amid expressions of horror and revulsion at the killing of dozens of wild animals in Ohio — and photographs of their bloody carcasses — animal rights advocates agreed there was little local authorities could have done to save the dangerous creatures once they began roaming the countryside after their owner released them before taking his own life.

Sheriff's deputies shot 48 animals — including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions — after Terry Thompson, owner of the private Muskingum County Animal Farm near Zanesville, threw their cages open Tuesday and then committed suicide.

[Enchante]

I don't know what happened with the guy except that he went nuts and set these dangerous animals loose, but this is some crazy scary stuff....

[Biggirl]

This is simply the ultimate form of animal cruelity, when this person before killing himself, sent these wild animals to their deaths.

[MikefromOhio]

It is indeed sad that those animals had to be put down to prevent further tragedies, but the authorities made the right call.

I just wish the guy that let them loose would have called the Columbus Zoo to give them the animals instead. That guy deserves whatever hell he’s going to now.

[floriduh voter]

The Sheriff said had to slaughter the animals cuz it was getting dark out. Too dark for darts. Don't they have night vision goggles in OHIO? Maybe the Governor should order some. IF they had night vision goggles, they could have used more darts and less bullets.

That being said, the guy went nuts and probably the animals were starving and really hungry. The animals were killing each other too.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Justice would have been for those big cats to eat him.

[Dacula]

He had money troubles and the IRS was after him.

I would liketo know who took care of his animals while he spent a year in prison.

[org.whodat]

Careful, the man was a Vietnam pilot, but have no doubt he had a mental problem. However, people need to make sure these trigger happy cops do not steal these animals and have a mount for the den.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So did the suicide get eaten by one of his cats?

Anyhow who cares what “animal rights” organizations say. What about the humane societies e.g. ASPCA?

[HiTech RedNeck]

viking kitties, viking kitties! (meow)

[org.whodat]

Wife, she had just left him according to the original report.

[SMARTY]

What is really INHUMANE is putting wild creatures in a cage in the first place. What could be more cruel for an animal that is meant to be free in the wild?

What human could exist for years in a small cage and keep their sanity?

[HiTech RedNeck]

ya mean he didn’t load the lions up on a truck and take them to the nearest you know what office for his opus?

[LouAvul]

Don't they have night vision goggles in OHIO? Maybe the Governor should order some. IF they had night vision goggles, they could have used more darts and less bullets.

That sounds like the kind of post where someone would say, "Why didn't they just shoot the gun out of his hand?"

Tell you what, we'll give you night vision goggles and tranquilizer darts to go into thick brush to hunt aggressive lions and tigers and bears. Even if you managed to pop one with a dart, you'd be dead before the drug knocked him out.

The cops did what they had to do to secure the area.

[I see my hands]

Oh my!

[HiTech RedNeck]

A big can of tuna fish mixed with Valium?

[Enchante]

I said I was commenting only on the outcome, I have no knowledge of the guy or what led up to this. But if the facts are accurately described he set loose a lot of deadly predators and then killed himself.

Why he wanted Bengal tigers roaming around the Ohio countryside to (potentially) kill any number of people, livestock, and pets, I don’t know.

I don’t see how the authorities could have acted differently on the main issue. It’s either kill the animals as rapidly as possible, or else risk many innocent people being injured and killed.

[cuban leaf]

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Exactly. This was an emergency situation, because you had very dangerous animals in a populated area. They cancelled schools down there, etc., because they didn't want kids waiting at bus stops.

Darts are not always reliable or effective. An animal that has been shot by one may still have time to close with and kill a human. These cops were not animal professionals, and shouldn't have had to take the risk.

[null and void]

Dead animals in Ohio, sympathy.

Dead animal in Libya, not so much.

[Malsua]

I found it interesting that one of the deputies killed a black bear with one round from his service pistol. I’d be curious as to caliber.