BRAND NEW UPDATES WITH BODY COUNT: Zookeeper In Ohio Lets Savage Animals Loose So They Can Eat People, Shoots Self – With Video
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@10TV BREAKING: Sheriff: Missing released monkey likely eaten by one of released cats.
@10TV BREAKING: Animal owner shot himself. Was bitten by larger-type cat/tiger within seconds after gunshot wound.
Breaking Raw Video – First Images Of Surviving Animals At Zoo:
The owner of a private animal preserve shot himself shortly after he opened the exotic animals’ cages and released them from his property, the Muskingum County sheriff said Thursday.
Terry Thompson was then bitten by a large cat, possibly a Bengal tiger, within a minute of being shot, Sheriff Matt Lutz said.
Lutz called off the search for the dozens of exotic animals that were released from a private preserve was called on Wednesday night after the sheriff announced he was confident that the final missing monkey was eaten by another escaped animal.
Forty-nine wild animals were shot by deputies with pistols and high-powered rifles after escaping from Thompson’s preserve, 10TV News reported.
Bears, lions, tigers and other animals scattered across Zanesville neighborhoods and close by rural Licking County.
Lutz said that deputies shot 48 animals – including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions – after Thompson, 62, opened their cages and killed himself.
“It was just a bomb ready to explode at any time,” said Fred Polk, who lived near Thompson. “The next thing I know is there’s about 25-30 lions, tigers; all kinds of exotic animals running loose.”
Polk said that some of the animals ran freely in his neighborhood, including his own yard.
According to Polk, one of the deputies shot a tiger, lion and mountain lion near his driveway.
“I witnessed a Bengal tiger, two black bears, African lioness, all being contained by no more than a smooth wire livestock fence,” said Muskingum County sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Merry.
He said that within seconds, one of the black bears started coming his way. Merry said he was armed and prepared to protect.
“To me, there’s no pride in what we had to do in killing these animals,” Merry said. “However, I do take pride in knowing that people in this county and community can sleep a little easier at night because of the actions I unfortunately had to do.”
Some of the animals were rescued and transported to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. A young grizzly bear, two Celebes macaques and three leopards including a black leopard were doing well, according to a statement released by the zoo on Thursday morning.
According to the zoo, the animals were receiving around the clock care and monitoring to assess their conditions and ease their transition.
Gov. John Kasich took criticism for allowing a statewide ban to expire on buying and selling exotic animals. According to the Humane Society of the United States, Ohio has some of the weakest restrictions of exotic pets in the U.S. and some of the highest injuries and deaths caused by animals.
“It’s one thing to own a zebra or a giraffe and be an exotic, but it’s another to own a lion or a bear and the responsibility that comes with that is huge,” said Ohio State Rep. Brian Hill, of Muskingum County.
Former Columbus Zoo director Jack Hanna, who defended Lutz’s decision to kill the animals, said that he will offer 10,000 acres at The Wilds in southeast Ohio as a sanctuary for exotic animals whose owners may be forced to give them up under a new state law.
The animals destroyed also included six black bears, two grizzlies, a baboon, a wolf and three mountain lions.
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Latest On 56 Escaped Exotic Animals In Ohio: 49 Animals Killed, One Diseased Monkey Still Loose
“This was a senseless slaughter” – Local Sheriff
Wall Street Journal:
A rural area near Zanesville, Ohio, was turned into a killing zone Tuesday evening and Wednesday as authorities destroyed 48 exotic animals—including 12 lions, eight bears and 18 endangered Bengal tigers, after their owner released them and apparently took his own life.
As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still looking for a macaque monkey and a gray wolf, said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz.
Local schools were closed and travelers on a nearby highway were warned by signs saying “Caution Exotic Animals,” as authorities hunted for the animals, shooting dozens as they roamed the owner’s 73-acre property and surrounding woods.
When deputies arrived at the farm about 55 miles east of Columbus Tuesday evening, “public safety was my No. 1 concern,” Mr. Lutz said in a televised news conference. He ordered his deputies to shoot any animals that threatened to escape. “We could not have animals running loose in this county,” he said.
Authorities identified the owner of the animals as Terry Thompson, 62 years old, who had faced numerous complaints about the animals and had been convicted at least once of abuse, Mr. Lutz said. Mr. Thompson had been released from prison on Sept. 30, after serving a year and a day on federal charges of possessing illegal firearms.
@nbc4i
WILD UPDATE: The wolf has been shot. Only the monkey is on the loose.
Sheriff’s Earlier Press Conference:
Two animals remain on the loose in Muskingum County, including a monkey and a wolf. The monkey is a Rhemus Macaque from Asia, about 30 pounds, and considered very dangerous.
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz says the animals owner, Terry Thompson, released more than 40 exotic animals from their cages Tuesday evening, before committing suicide. His body was found outside of his Muskingum County Animal farm in Zanesville.
As many as 44 dead animals were recovered, including a 300-pound Bengal tiger, grizzly bear and mountain lion.
Lutz said that his deputies were not armed with tranquilizers and ordered them to shoot the animals – some at close range – because they posed a threat to the community.
The preserve had lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears.
One big cat was hit and wounded on the interstate.
Six animals were found still in their cages. They are now at the Columbus Zoo. These include, three leopards, one young grizzly bear, and two monkeys.
For safety reasons several schools closed Wednesday.
“This is a bad situation. It’s been a bad situation for a long time and the last thing we wanna do is have any of our public hurt. And we want them to take any precaution,” Sheriff Lutz said.
Muskingum County Sheriff Department has handled numerous complaints from the preserve in the past.
Well-known animal expert and Columbus Zoo director emeritus, Jack Hanna is helping with the hunt. Hanna says he has received a lot of complaints from animal groups, criticizing the police on shooting and killing some of the animals. Hanna says law enforcement had to do what they had to do to protect human life.
Hanna has been very vocal on the state’s animal laws. “I will do anything I can over my dead body to put these people out of business, to shut these auctions down,” said Hanna.
He went on to say he doesn’t want to shut everyone down. There are good breeders out there.
Ohio has no rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals. Hanna says he talked with the governor’s office today and plans to meet with Governor John Kasich today and tomorrow to talk about stricter animal laws.
Efforts to tranquilize some animals failed. In one incident Wednesday morning, a veterinarian tried to tranquilize a 300-pound tiger, Mr. Lutz said. “This thing just went crazy. It started to run into the wooded area and our officers took it down.”
“What was done had to be done,” said Jack Hanna, a television wildlife host and director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, who appeared beside the sheriff. “It’s a tragedy beyond belief.”
Six animals inside Mr. Thompson’s home were transferred to a zoo, Mr. Lutz said. All the destroyed animals were buried on the property.
@nbc4i: Director of Wilds recommends the monkey be shot and killed . Highly likely the monkey carrying Herpes B. #animalsontheloose
@nbc4i: Animal totals: 56 animals on the farm. #animalsontheloose
Police with assault rifles were stalking a mountain lion, grizzly bear and monkey still on the loose on Wednesday after authorities said the creatures’ owner apparently freed dozens of wild animals and then killed himself.
Police warned people to stay in their homes, and officials wondered how to dispose of the dead animals after officials hunted down and shot nearly 30 of the 48 of them overnight under orders to shoot to kill.
County Sheriff Matt Lutz told a news conference that it appeared Muskingum County Animal Farm owner Terry Thompson had let the animals loose and died of a self-inflicted wound.
The preserve had Bengal tigers, lions, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and grizzly bears, among others. The animals’ cages had been opened and the farm’s fences had been left unsecured, police said.
Lutz called the animals mature, very big, and aggressive. “We’re not talking about your normal everyday housecat,” he said.
There were multiple sightings of exotic animals along a nearby highway. Bears and wolves were among those killed, police said.
Lutz defended the shootings, saying police had just an hour or so before sundown and weren’t carrying tranquilizer darts. More than 50 law enforcement officials patrolled the area Tuesday night, concerned about big cats and bears hiding in the dark and in trees.
Even when one 300lb (135kg) animal was shot with a tranquilizer dart when animal authorities arrived, the animal “went crazy,” ran off and had to be shot, he said.
Meanwhile, flashing signs along area highways told motorists, “Caution exotic animals” and “Stay in vehicle.”
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) – The owner of an Ohio zoo filled with lions, tigers, bears, wolves, and more was found dead on Tuesday.
According to Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling, the owner is believed to have taken his own life. However, before he died, he let all the animals loose.
“I did get a call from my safety director and he told me that the owner had turned them loose and had shot himself,” Mayor Zwelling said.
Now, a frantic search for over 40 dangerous animals is on outside of Zanesville.
KDKA-AM’s Larry and John talked to Mayor Zwelling, who says he’s worried about public safety and that the sheriff is shooting the animals.
“It’s my understanding that the county sheriff and deputies are out. The last I heard last night, they had killed over 25 of these wild animals and there were 48 loose,” Mayor Zwelling said.
Some people are concerned that the animals are being killed instead of tranquilized, including the mayor.
“It bothers me a little bit also. I was not consulted about this. It happened outside the city and so the sheriff has taken charge of this whole thing. I have not talked to the sheriff,” Mayor Zwelling said.
City officials are telling residents to stay inside and several schools in the area are closed.
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