Bears, tigers, lions and wolves escape from Ohio zoo

[sianrose]

Bears, tigers, lions and wolves escape from Ohio zoo

Police have shot and killed dozens of exotic animals that escaped from a private zoo in Zanesville, Ohio.

Sheriff Matt Lutz said he personally gave the order to shoot the escaped animals, including grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, tigers and lions.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Lutz said police believe they have now accounted for all but three animals.

The animals' owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead at the zoo, and police believe he killed himself.

'Like Noah's Ark'

Mr Hanna said the scope of the event was immense.

"This is like Noah's Ark wrecking here in Zanesville," he said.

After a night of hunting and warnings to local residents to stay inside their homes, Mr Lutz said a mountain lion, a grizzly bear and a monkey were still unaccounted for as of Wednesday morning.

Officials said the "volatile situation" of animals escaping from the Muskingum County Animal Farm and the approach of darkness on Tuesday night had prompted the shoot-to-kill order.

Staff from the nearby Columbus Zoo hoped to tranquilise the remaining animals.

full article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15364027

[trottigy]

Police have shot and killed dozens of exotic animals that escaped from a private zoo in Zanesville, Ohio.

That is so sad that these beautiful animals had to be killed.

Watch it will be some animal rights activist that let them out and now requiring that they be killed. Wouldn't it have been better for them to stay where they were rather than being killed

This just reminds me of Jer 10:23. People think they know what is best and act on it only to do more harm.

Or better from our Bible reading this week - Prov 14:12 "There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward."

May God's Kingdom come and put an end to the madness!

[Brother_Bliss]

I just heard about this. Apparently it has been on the news all day. Zanesville is about 1 hour 15 minutes away from me.

The story I heard is that the owner unlocked all the cages, and then killed himself.

[Musky]

Yes, he unlocked the cages and even pried some of them open for some reason and then killed himself. At least they think he did at this point.

It was sad because some of the animals were hanging around the owner's body so they shot them to get to him to see if he was alive.

[rocket]

I can understand why they had to kill them. A 300 lb. Tiger can take down a 2,000 lb. water buffalo in seconds, what chance does a human have. I just feel bad that the State of Ohio has such moronic laws that allow such beautiful animals to be put in this situation.

[sianrose]

Yes, he unlocked the cages and even pried some of them open for some reason and then killed himself.

I wonder if he had been reading our thread on animals...and had enough

I make jest ...but that is sad all around...the last news report a few hours ago ...said there is just one monkey left to be captured...or killed and eaten whatever you do in the US of A

[sianrose]

there is a big article with photos...for those to care to read at

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2050778/Ohio-animals-killed-Lions-tigers-shot-dead-escaping-US-zoo.html

Bizarre big game hunt ends in blood bath: Nearly FIFTY exotic animals running wild in Ohio shot dead after reserve owner set them free then killed himself

* Police have rounded up last of 'mature, aggressive wild animals'

* Residents permitted to go outdoors after beasts spotted roaming the highways killed

* Owner freed animals before shooting himself

* He had recently been in jail on weapons charges and had a record for animal cruelty

OHIO LAW ON POSSESSION OF EXOTIC ANIMALS

The law on the possession of exotic animals in Ohio expired in April of this year. It said:

'No person may bring into the state a non-domestic animal unless the possessor: obtains an entry permit; health certificate certifying the animal is free of infectious diseases; and a certificate of veterinary inspection. Persons in the state possessing non-domestic animals do not need to obtain a permit.'

The Humane Society of United States urged Ohio officials to issue an emergency rule to crack down on exotic animal ownership after yesterday's incident.

The organisation said that if the previous emergency order issued by then-Governor Ted Strickland had not expired, then Thompson 'would almost certainly have had his animals removed by May 1, 2011.'

Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.

It looks like the monkey is going down...

"At an afternoon news conference, the sheriff said that the danger had passed and that people could move around freely again, but that the monkey would probably be shot because it was believed to be carrying a herpes disease."

[Musky]

It looks like the monkey is going down...

"At an afternoon news conference, the sheriff said that the danger had passed and that people could move around freely again, but that the monkey would probably be shot because it was believed to be carrying a herpes disease."

Now they are saying the Monkey was eaten so he never made it out of the "zoo"

What a terrible shame! They killed 15 Bengal Tigers which are already endangered!

I have to turn the TV channel whenever they show the picture of the large pile of dead animals! This is truly Satan's world!

[retroHelen]

Yes, you know Satan's world can't have too long to go. Satan is dragging down as much of all creation with him as he goes.

Earlier this year there was a harrowing documentary on UK TV about many Safari Park areas in Africa. There has always been a struggle to protect them from poachers. However, China is becoming more wealthy, yet has a backward superstitious use of animal parts for aphrodisiacs etc, many organised gangs, organised more like small armies, are sent to Africa by wealthy Chinese businessmen, to overwhelm the park rangers and kill many rare endangered species - the rarer the better - and the numbers of rhino and elephants and lions, just as a sample example, are decreasing rapidly. The Chinese can get easily into Africa as they have bought up many poor African countries' port and rail systems.

Tonight's BBC news mentioned that in Cyprus and Malta organised crime gangs are trapping and killing hundreds of thousands of little songbirds, more than usual, causing drastic declines as the poor things are on their migration routes from us in the West to overwinter in warmer Africa. There is not much to eat on them, but they are a delicacy and more so now among the criminals as the practice has been declared illegal for years.The trappers who string massive nets across remote hilltops, can get violent against the Police and anyone else trying to stop them.