Posted on 10/20/2011 1:31:53 PM PDT by smokingfrog
A Zanesville cop who was hunting down ferocious animals released by their owner came within just a few feet of being mauled by a charging bear, killing the animal with a single shot from his service revolver.
The black bear dropped dead just seven feet from Deputy Jonathan Merry, he told ABC News.
Merry and other deputies relived their efforts to stalk tigers, lions, wolves and bears into a rainy night that at times left them feeling like the hunted. By Wednesday afternoon, 49 of the 50 animals released by Terry Thompson were confirmed dead, ending a potentially catastrophic threat to people in the area.
Merry, an animal lover who grew up on a farm, was the second officer to arrive at Thompson's private preserve in Zanesville, Ohio, Tuesday evening. Thompson had killed himself with a handgun moments after releasing his dangerous menagerie.
Merry, 25, arrived to find a Bengal tiger, two black bears and a female African lion contained by nothing more than a livestock fence along the roadway.
When a wolf started running south, the officer followed it in his patrol car.
"It turned west, which is opposite, even further of the Thompson residence. I was then instructed by my sergeant over the radio to take the wolf down," Merry said.
He pursued the wolf into a hay field, got out of his vehicle and shot it.
But soon, he was facing another, much larger, problem. His commanding officer told him a lion had been cornered back at the Thompson home. He headed back, but instead of finding a lion, he was confronted by an angry bear.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The Bear probably had a heart attack LOL.
Those cops earned a months pay for that night, IMO.
The SFPD managed with a .40 cal on a P'O’d Bengal tiger in the infamous Christmas tiger attack. There were 4 officers involved so volume had it's own quality.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/26/MN0LU4M2T.DTL
Good to know I can stop a Siberian Tiger with my G23.
Jack Hanna, too. The Columbus Zoo had received over 200 calls directed against him by noon today.
What really pissed me off were so-called FReepers who wanted the cops fired, prosecuted and imprisoned.
Ain't never been in a "situation" with a dangerous critter but common sense says you're right as you can be.
Y'know what, though? Remember the time out in Californica, I think in the bay area, where some pseudo-"gang" kids were having an initiation where one of them had to go hang down in the lion's den at the zoo and "mess with" the lion? And the lion got a claw in the kid and decided to just eat him right there, and leaped out of the den and chased the kid down?
(Rest of that scene censored 'cause it's "graphic".)
And the first two cops who got there and confronted the lion and shot him dead, were armed with - .40 S&W autos.
"Multiple hits", I'm sure.
Not to take anything away from these guys in Ohio. Hats off to anyone who's got the cojones to go face down any kind of dangerous critter, 'specially with a handgun.
When I was a young lad I went with a church group to Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio. There was a lion cage and attraction at the time, I think it was called Jungle Jim’s or something, they had a zebra striped old jeep parked in front of it that they used to drive around the park. Anyway it was just getting dark and myself and a friend were late getting back to the meet-up spot. I ran around the back of the lion cage at full run and across the front of the big cage with the female lions in it. I hadn’t taken more than three or four steps past the corner at almost a full run when this female lion jumped up, and in two leaps was at full speed and slammed into the cage with her shoulder trying to take me down. Scared the living s*** out of me and gave me a lesson I haven’t forgotten to this day, to some of those big cats we are still nothing but long pig that walks funny.
Kudos to the cops, I say.
Exactly.
Kudos to the cops on this one. A bunch of hungry tigers wandering around would be a large problem, and this obviously wasn’t a case of some dweebs busting down a door and shooting a Chihuahua.
I have to say I find this very troubling. Start with the part where the cops are ordered to shoot and kill the animals. Any educated hunter is going to pick the proper weapon. A rudimentary understanding of ballistics is going to tell you to pick a rifle. Presumably the police have access to bolt-action hunting rifles. I know they have AR-15 type of rifles, and ballistics again tells you that the energy of a 5.56 round (like a 62 grain JHP) is significantly more than that of a large handgun round (like a .45ACP). So, they chose the wrong weapon.
I also call into question either the officer’s story or his survival instincts. No matter how you look at it, this guy isn’t very bright. According to his own account, he approached a wild predatory animal a) WITHOUT his gun drawn and b) WITHOUT the proper weapon. He fired once? Again, either he’s lying or he’s not very bright. You take the shot when you have it and you keep firing until the target isn’t moving.
It doesn’t take much to see either the story is false or the officer’s not very bright.
Not anymore thanks to Canadian Gray's being relocated into Yellowstone.
Correct, that thought crossed a second after the “post” button was pressed. Do so miss the smith 66.and the stainless speed six.
Jungle Larry.
He used to bring his cats on Captain Penny’s show on Channel 5 when I was a kid.
You are correct sir. I still buy albums of music.
Was a good shot though! If .357 or .40, that proves some of the claims on those two calibers.
Cheers
Which one is that, the .444 or .45-70?
By all accounts, these animals hadn’t attacked anybody and most were wandering aimlessly, somewhat confused, on the property or within walking distance.
I’m sure they needed to be taken down immediately.
I love animals as much as the next person, maybe more. That being said, better the animals are dead than a person. I don’t blame those charged with hunting down the animals, I blame the person who assembled this collection of dangerous animals. He could have contacted someone to let them know he was going to kill himself and to find help for his animals. He chose not to to this, so he and his animals are all dead.
A discussion we've had many times on other threads. I acknowledge for defence being supportive of spray, bear bangers, handgun if necessary, but preferably a longarm for defensive purposes. But whatever works. And in this case what I assume to be at best a .40 or .45, one shot to what I assume was a small head swaying between those big charging sholders, at night (?), a great shot which saved his life.
I imagine he's been finding a whole lot of range time - and that he'll keep it up after this experience.
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