Exotic animals on the loose... so sad

LilyPotter218 · October 2011

A crazy man keeping exotic animals captive in central Ohio let all of them go and killed himself earlier this week...

The pictures are so insanely sad. Nothing they can do but kill the ones they find What is wrong with people!? Made me so angry!

Sorry, totally NBR, but in my office no one other than me seems to be thinking about the animals. Depressing me.

salt78 · October 2011

Why can't they just take the animals to the zoo?! I am feeling outraged over this.

LilyPotter218 · October 2011

salt78:
Why can't they just take the animals to the zoo?! I am feeling outraged over this.

I know. I don't get it. Both Cincinnati and Columbus have large zoos, I am sure there are enough trained people at both who would be willing to help out. It is making me sick...

They say it is not worth the risk? Are you kidding me. Tell people to stay home. They have closed all schools in the area. At least give it a try?!

aspen970 · October 2011

I live about 30 minutes from where this happened, and the word is that the ones they killed were the ones they found overnight because tranq'ing them overnight was impossible. I agree that the killing of them was senseless...sounds like a bunch of bored country cops out playing safari hunter.

kellymarie68 · October 2011

I was really upset when I heard this too... and with all these hormones raging, I started crying! They were saying that throughout the night as they found animals it was too difficult to put them to sleep and take them to a zoo so they had no choice but to kill them.... so I suppose in the light of day they will be trying to capture the animals instead of just shooting them. I really hope that's what they do. The man kept a large collection of exotic, rare animals and they deserve to be treated with respect.

salt78 · October 2011

They could have at least TRIED to tranq them. Does the fact that it's dark out somehow mean that they couldn't have done that and loaded them into trucks and taken them to the damn zoo?

Those poor animals. They didn't deserve any of this. Sad

starswinger · October 2011

I heard the guy died while the animals were not in their pen. These animals are aggressive and they are trying to catch them.

salt78 · October 2011

kellymarie68:
so I suppose in the light of day they will be trying to capture the animals instead of just shooting them.

Doesn't sound like it. From the news story it sounds like they are still hunting them with rifles. Lots of people are angry about it and the guy they interviewed was trying to defend the sheriff for doing it that way.

starswinger:
I heard the guy died while the animals were not in their pen. These animals are aggressive and they are trying to catch them.

He set them free and then offed himself. Who knows if the animals are aggressive or not...they are just wild animals who are probably very confused as to why they are suddenly not in pens anymore.

ETA: Some of the animals included camels and giraffes. Yeah...real aggressive.

aspen970 · October 2011

What happened is that he let the animals (except the primates) out of their cages, then shot himself. He was completely irresponsible, and hopefully this brings to light the fact that Ohio has the most relaxed permit laws about exotic pets.

slukd79 · October 2011

aspen970:
What happened is that he let the animals (except the primates) out of their cages, then shot himself. He was completely irresponsible, and hopefully this brings to light the fact that Ohio has the most relaxed permit laws about exotic pets.

Agreed. While I completely don't agree about killing the animals, I hardly think the law enforcement is to blame. This man essentially sentenced these animals to die when he killed himself and let them go.

salt78 · October 2011

mooshagirl:
This may be an UO, but I think that it should be illegal for anyone to own exotic pets.ever.period.

Agreed.

kcwmommy · October 2011

OMG that is horrible! And you are right it doesn't sound like they are really trying to capture any of them! So sad! Crying

Found the article on CNN:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/us/ohio-animals-on-loose/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Lisichka · October 2011

mooshagirl:
Stories like this make me so angry. This may be an UO, but I think that it should be illegal for anyone to own exotic pets.ever.period. It is so sad when one of them escapes or attacks their owner and the animal gets killed. They are wild animals, their instincts are not going to go away just because you selfishly decided you needed to own one and put it in captivity. Grrrrrr!!

I haven't read this story yet, but this was also the first thing that I thought while reading this post. Yes, it is cruel and so sad that they're killing these animals, but it is so irresponsible of this guy to have kept these exotic animals and then set them free. These kinds of animals do not belong in a house, in a pen, JMO.

kcwmommy · October 2011

OMG that is horrible! And you are right it doesn't sound like they are really trying to capture any of them! So sad! Crying

Found the article on CNN:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/us/ohio-animals-on-loose/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

kcwmommy · October 2011

OMG that is horrible! And you are right it doesn't sound like they are really trying to capture any of them! So sad! Crying

Found the article on CNN:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/us/ohio-animals-on-loose/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

candacek31 · October 2011

This will probably be UO too but we don't have any idea how this man treated these animals. If he had them since they were little, they would probably never make it in a zoo with other animals. This man signed their death certificate the moment he let them go. I can't even imagine how scared and confused these animals are. They could easily hurt others without meaning too. I just hope that no humans are hurt and these animals can find peace wherever they end up.

4-Ever-Young · October 2011

I just read this story. It is incredibly sad. I could maybe understand why upon initially arriving they may have had to shoot a few since they don't typically carry tranqs. However, within the next 30 minutes there should have been people brought in who know how to handle exotic animals. It is senseless, cruel, and wrong to have killed 50 animals. I think the sheriff's comments seem smug, that or he is just an idiot. It really breaks my heart.

kcwmommy · October 2011

Really sorry ladies- don't know what happened! It went from not posting to posting three times and now I can't delete the duplicates! At least you know where to read the article now! lol

Cholzmei · October 2011

I agree that it should be much MUCH harder to get a license to have exotic pets. Things like this make me really angry. I don't blame the cops for having to shoot the animals, but I do blame them for acting cavalier about it. It's such a waste.

countrygrl5533 · October 2011

Having read the article, I don't see anything about them not trying to use tranquilizers first. In fact, it does say that they did try but then had to shoot an animal when the tranq didn't work. Human lives are way more important than the lives of animals. Animals that, if you read the article, probably weren't treated well and then are let go in a place they have no idea how to navigate and handle, are going to be scared and probably violent. I think the police did what they had to do to protect the public.

That being said, the animals shouldn't have been allowed to be there anyway. It does say they were working on removing the animals but it fell through. I don't understand why anyone would want to own exotic animals. You want to see a lion, go find a zoo.

Cholzmei · October 2011

countrygrl5533:
I don't understand why anyone would want to own exotic animals.

Me either... and quite honestly, at the risk of sounding very judgmental, most of people who do want an exotic animal seem very unstable.

SheenaNash1 · October 2011

I'm sorry but what a piece of sh!t human being that man was, I'm not feeling sad he's gone at all. Take your own life, fine. But don't be selfish enough to make all of your animals suffer as well just because youre a pathetic excuse for a human being. God, people who mistreat animals make me so angry and sick.

GoldenGibson · October 2011

So depressing.

bingham101 · October 2011

This is really sad. I live in ohio about an hour away from where this happened. I agree with you all I wish they would have tried to save the animals, but I can understand the need to get the situation under control quickly. I guess they did tranq. one of the lions and it went really bad. And I guess they have to get a lot closer to the animal to tranq it. What I can't believe is Ohio has no laws over what animals ppl can own. Seriously, I wish that guy would have cared a little more about his animals than do what he did. Its sad.

BuckeyeANG · October 2011

I live about an hour from Zanesville also. The reports that camels and giraffes were included in the animal population were false...it was primates, bears and large cats. My understanding is that they only had an hour of daylight left when the first 911 calls came in, and tranquilizing an animal even in a controlled situation in the day is challenging. Columbus Zoo representatives and veterinarians were on scene very quickly last night and they are also defending the "shoot to kill" order. Jack Hanna is extremely well respected and is currently the director emeritus of the Zoo. He stated the Sheriff made the right decision, as difficult as that was. Hanna was very emotional about it...he is a huge animal lover. It breaks my heart but if the experts are saying that was the only option overnight, I guess we have to accept that. I believe they did capture some of the animals once daylight broke. Three are still missing. That man who did this was so selfish, it makes me sick.

LilyPotter218 · October 2011

Cholzmei:
I agree that it should be much MUCH harder to get a license to have exotic pets. Things like this make me really angry. I don't blame the cops for having to shoot the animals, but I do blame them for acting cavalier about it. It's such a waste.

Yep. Law in Ohio states that if an animal is NOT native to the area you do not need any kind of permit to have one.

Granted I am just under 2 hours from the excitement, BUT the Cincinnati Zoo is one of the largest in the country and there are animal sanctuaries affiliated with it spread all across southern OH. These facilities are sure to have trained staff and the necessary equipment. I understand not being able to just let a lion get way b/c the troopers didn't have tranquilizers, but there is no reason they could not have had them there within an hour.

I wish the guy hadn't shot himself. He deserves worse...

ibnagy99 · October 2011

While what happened is really sad and that this man didn't try to find homes for his animals before killing himself, I think that the state Veterinarian might have a say in these animals fate. I know in my state which isn't OH that our Veterinarian that works with our State Game & Fish Dept. has a say in whether an animal is put down or not. Sometimes it is better for the animal to be put down than the other life that it might have to live. Yes it is a sad day when this has to happen, but when people are irresponsible such as this guys was sometimes the animals are the ones who have to pay the price. Sometimes the news also doesn't report all the facts to the story and there maybe more to these animals history than what we know. It is truly a sad day all around.

kcwmommy · October 2011

According to People online this is what the guy who had all the animals said just LAST YEAR:

"I don't let my animals run loose," Thompson told the Zanesville Times Recorder last year. "I'm not going to put anyone else, including myself and my wife, in danger or put my animals at risk."

What a liar he turned out to be! Sad

https://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20538231,00.html

I can understand concerns for public safety but its seems like more could've been done to save them instead of rushing to kill them all.

kiarstin · October 2011

People disgust me soo much... I am constantly saying that animals are far better than us and well there we going again. Ohio law needs to changed since this could have been prevented. Officials should of done a better job getting the animals safely and not shooting them down. Whole thing makes me so angry and agitated.

SaintDorothyMantooth · October 2011

countrygrl5533:
Having read the article, I don't see anything about them not trying to use tranquilizers first. In fact, it does say that they did try but then had to shoot an animal when the tranq didn't work. Human lives are way more important than the lives of animals. Animals that, if you read the article, probably weren't treated well and then are let go in a place they have no idea how to navigate and handle, are going to be scared and probably violent. I think the police did what they had to do to protect the public.
That being said, the animals shouldn't have been allowed to be there anyway. It does say they were working on removing the animals but it fell through. I don't understand why anyone would want to own exotic animals. You want to see a lion, go find a zoo.

I'm with CountryGrl on this one. I think it sounds like they are doing everything possible to not have to put the animals down, but sometimes it has to be done. It makes me so sad, but I've also seen accounts where wild animals have escaped from their (twisted) owners and harmed people -- you just can't take that chance.

Hopefully this is what pushes OH to reinstate harsher laws against owning these types of animals. Who are these people that think they can "own" tigers and lions? if anything, the animal owns them.

raspberry_bride · October 2011

I just saw this story on the evening news and it made me so sad for those animals. He was a very selfish man for letting those animals out of their cages like that. He could have taken his own life without putting the lives of all those animals in danger, as well as innocent people. I am thankful that no people were injured or killed because of his actions.

Also, the impression I got from the reports was that he had caused a lot of grief for the police in his town for having these exotic animals. I am not sure if it was the sheriff talking or just an officer, but the way he talked about it gave me the impression that they were just relieved to get rid of these animals. It made me think that they didn't bother to tranquilize them because it made it easier for them. Maybe I misheard, but I was a little disturbed by that.

HalloweenWife · October 2011

salt78:
Why can't they just take the animals to the zoo?! I am feeling outraged over this.

There aren't many police forces that have the equipment to trap these animals. They had no idea the weight of each animal so tranqs weren't going to help because a) if you give an animal too much, you will kill it and b) they take a while to work. I know there were problems on the property before so they should have been able to do something, but if just one animal hurt a person because they were trying to capture them, people would be outraged over that too, it's a lose-lose situation. I am all for saving the animals (I have actually adopted a Manatee in Homasossa Springs every year since I was in high school to help protect them) and don't think just any Tom, *** or Harry should be able to own exotic pets. Plus, if they let any of the carnivores loose for too long, they could have seriously messed up the ecosystem in Central Ohio. The bears and wolves could also introduce diseases that are foreign to the natural population if they weren't killed and even the zoos might not have wanted to deal with these animals because of possible diseases introduced to their populations. It is such a sad situation.

sroddy12 · October 2011

I live near the area and as per the news they did try to tranquilize a couple of the animals, but the medication can take several minutes to sedate the huge animals. After tranquilizing a couple of them, one actually charged one of the officers. I feel bad for the animals, but they had to protect the people. I'm sure that peoples reaction would be completely different had one of the animals killed an innocent child. The police were doing this in the dark, what do you expect them to do? There is no time to call in hundreds of zoo keepers to round up dangerous animals on the loose in the middle of the night. This is why people should not be able to own wild animals. This guy has comited felonies before. Why is he allowed to own dangerous animals? Makes no sense. Such a sad situation that should have never happened.

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