duste
19-10-2011, 10:22 PM
SHORT ARTICLE: http://gizmodo.com/5851253/exotic-wild-animals-are-on-the-loose-in-ohio-police-asking-people-to-protect-themselves-with-twitter
Eastern Ohio is shut down right now because exotic wild animals—bears, tigers, lions, cheetahs, wolves and other wildlife—are running amok. Police have been hunting down these animals throughout the night and have killed about 30 out of the 48 animals on the loose.
It's such a weird situation. The wild animals were originally from an animal preserve owned by Terry Thompson. Thompson, an eccentric character who lived with chimps and orangutans in his home, died last night (no one knows why) and his farm's fences and animal cages were left open, letting the wild animals go crazy. Police have been using assault rifles with the aid of night vision goggles to take these animals down while urging residents of eastern Ohio to stay indoors and update Twitter to protect themselves. Seriously. The whole thing is so unbelievable, even signs on the highway are flashing, "CAUTION EXOTIC ANIMALS".
As animals are still on the loose, police have shut down schools in the area and have told people to stay inside their vehicles. I wonder how safe I'd feel if I had to face a "mature, very big, aggressive" wild animal and the only weapon I had was Twitter.
LONG ARTICLE: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-18/exotic-animals-loose-ohio/50821092/1
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Officials said Wednesday the owner of a wild animal preserve released dozens of animals from their cages before he shot and killed himself.
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to the media about exotic animals loose in the area Tuesday in Zanesville, Ohio.
As daylight came to this rural area 55 miles east of Columbus people were being told to stay inside. Officers with assault rifles patrolled the area looking for the wild animals ranging from tigers and bears to cheetahs and wolves.
"We're telling people to look around, be cognizant of what's around them," Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling told CNN Wednesday morning. "We're being cautious about it."
Zwelling said he got a call from the city's safety director around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday that Terry Thompson, the owner of the farm, had set the animals free and then shot himself.
Sheriff Matt Lutz told NBC's Today show that authorities were awaiting autopsy results. Lutz had said earlier that the death was not suspicious.
Tom Stalf, CEO of the Columbus Zoo, said officials were searching for bears, two wolves and "a few tigers." He said so far 39 animals had been killed but that number keeps changing.
Stalf said the rough terrain and wooded area is making it harder for officials to catch the animals.
"When we're using tranquilizer darts we have to have a clear area to sedate the animal and once the animal is injected with the dart it still takes up to eight minutes for the drug to take effect," he told CNN.
Lutz said he was consulting with animal experts to develop a strategy that might include putting food back in the pens to see if the animals, which probably are scared, would return. He described the animals as "mature, very large and aggressive" but said that a caretaker told authorities the animals had been fed on Monday.
Close to 30 of the 48 animals were shot and killed on Tuesday.
The preserve had lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears. Police said bears and wolves were among the escaped animals that were killed and there were multiple sightings of exotic animals along a nearby highway.
About three or four wolves were killed by officers.
The biggest concerns were grizzly and black bears, lions and tigers.
Chimpanzees and an orangutan were found alive in pens inside the house. A black bear and a wolf made it to a field near Interstate 70 along with a large mountain lion.
Lutz said because they had dealt with Thompson and the rescue he operated on his farm for several years, they were aware he kept these types of animals. Lutz said Thompson had a license to run the rescue operation and it was legal.
Thompson was sentenced to one year and a day in prison in October 2010 for two federal counts of possessing illegal firearms and recently had been released. Thomas was charged after agents with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives served a search warrant at his home in 2008.
Three school districts in the region were closed and some private and special schools canceled classes. Flashing signs along area highways told motorists, "Caution exotic animals" and "Stay in vehicle."
Tuesday night, more than 50 law enforcement officials — including sheriff's deputies, highway patrol officers, police officers and officers from the state Division of Wildlife — patrolled the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas in cars and trucks, often in rainy downpours. Lutz said they were concerned about big cats and bears hiding in the dark and in trees.
Neighbor Danielle White, whose father's property abuts the animal preserve, said she didn't see loose animals this time but did in 2006, when a lion escaped.
"It's always been a fear of mine knowing (the preserve's owner) had all those animals," she said. "I have kids. I've heard a male lion roar all night."
Lutz said Thompson's wife, who was not at the home, had been contacted.
Lutz said his office started getting phone calls at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday that wild animals were loose just west of Zanesville on a road that runs under Interstate 70.
He said four deputies with assault rifles in a pickup truck went to the animal farm, where they found the owner Thompson dead and all the animal cage doors open.
He wouldn't say how Thompson died but said several aggressive animals were near his body when deputies arrived and had to be shot.
The deputies, who saw many other animals standing outside their cages and others that had escaped past the fencing surrounding the property, began shooting them on sight.
"He was in hot water because of the animals, because of permits, and (the animals) escaping all the time," White said. A few weeks ago, she said, she had to avoid some camels which were grazing on the side of a freeway.
Bill Cooper, who lives on Whites Road, said he was concerned for his cattle and calves on his farm when he first heard about the animals being loose. He said he didn't see any animals out but he and his wife heard several "pops."
He said in the past he had heard animals moaning on the property and always thought something should have been done about it.
At a nearby Moose Lodge, Bill Weiser remembered Thompson as an interesting character who flew planes, raced boats and owned a custom motorcycle shop that also sold guns.
"He was pretty unique," Weiser said. "He had a different slant on things. I never knew him to hurt anybody, and he took good care of the animals."
Weiser said he regretted that the escaped animals had to be killed. "It's breaking my heart, them shooting those animals," he said.
Bailey Hartman, 20, a night manager at McDonald, also said it saddened her that the animals were being shot. But, she said, "I was kind of scared coming in to work."
Hartman said Thompson's wife, who no longer lives with him, was her teacher in middle school and used to bring small animals such as a monkeys, snakes and owls to school. "It was a once-a-year type of thing, and everyone would always get excited," she recalled.
Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.
In the summer of 2010, an animal caretaker was killed by a bear at a property in Cleveland. The caretaker had opened the bear's cage at exotic-animal keeper Sam Mazzola's property for a routine feeding.
Though animal-welfare activists had wanted Mazzola charged with reckless homicide, the caretaker's death was ruled a workplace accident. The bear was later destroyed.
This summer, Mazzola was found dead on a water bed, wearing a mask and with his arms and legs restrained, at his home in Columbia Township, about 15 miles southwest of Cleveland.
It was unclear how many animals remained on the property when he died, but he had said in a bankruptcy filing in May 2010 that he owned four tigers, a lion, eight bears and 12 wolves. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had revoked his license to exhibit animals after animal-welfare activists campaigned for him to stop letting people wrestle with another one of his bears.
Mazzola had permits for nine bears for 2010, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said. The state requires permits for bears but doesn't regulate the ownership of nonnative animals, such as lions and tigers.
The Humane Society of the United States on Wednesday urged Ohio to immediately issue emergency restrictions on the sale and possession of dangerous wild animals. "
"How many incidents must we catalogue before the state takes action to crack down on private ownership of dangerous exotic animals," Humane Society Wayne Pacelle said in a statement.
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Bit of a pingpingpingping thing to do to release the animals before killing himself...
Eastern Ohio is shut down right now because exotic wild animals—bears, tigers, lions, cheetahs, wolves and other wildlife—are running amok. Police have been hunting down these animals throughout the night and have killed about 30 out of the 48 animals on the loose.
It's such a weird situation. The wild animals were originally from an animal preserve owned by Terry Thompson. Thompson, an eccentric character who lived with chimps and orangutans in his home, died last night (no one knows why) and his farm's fences and animal cages were left open, letting the wild animals go crazy. Police have been using assault rifles with the aid of night vision goggles to take these animals down while urging residents of eastern Ohio to stay indoors and update Twitter to protect themselves. Seriously. The whole thing is so unbelievable, even signs on the highway are flashing, "CAUTION EXOTIC ANIMALS".
As animals are still on the loose, police have shut down schools in the area and have told people to stay inside their vehicles. I wonder how safe I'd feel if I had to face a "mature, very big, aggressive" wild animal and the only weapon I had was Twitter.
LONG ARTICLE: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-18/exotic-animals-loose-ohio/50821092/1
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Officials said Wednesday the owner of a wild animal preserve released dozens of animals from their cages before he shot and killed himself.
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to the media about exotic animals loose in the area Tuesday in Zanesville, Ohio.
As daylight came to this rural area 55 miles east of Columbus people were being told to stay inside. Officers with assault rifles patrolled the area looking for the wild animals ranging from tigers and bears to cheetahs and wolves.
"We're telling people to look around, be cognizant of what's around them," Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling told CNN Wednesday morning. "We're being cautious about it."
Zwelling said he got a call from the city's safety director around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday that Terry Thompson, the owner of the farm, had set the animals free and then shot himself.
Sheriff Matt Lutz told NBC's Today show that authorities were awaiting autopsy results. Lutz had said earlier that the death was not suspicious.
Tom Stalf, CEO of the Columbus Zoo, said officials were searching for bears, two wolves and "a few tigers." He said so far 39 animals had been killed but that number keeps changing.
Stalf said the rough terrain and wooded area is making it harder for officials to catch the animals.
"When we're using tranquilizer darts we have to have a clear area to sedate the animal and once the animal is injected with the dart it still takes up to eight minutes for the drug to take effect," he told CNN.
Lutz said he was consulting with animal experts to develop a strategy that might include putting food back in the pens to see if the animals, which probably are scared, would return. He described the animals as "mature, very large and aggressive" but said that a caretaker told authorities the animals had been fed on Monday.
Close to 30 of the 48 animals were shot and killed on Tuesday.
The preserve had lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears. Police said bears and wolves were among the escaped animals that were killed and there were multiple sightings of exotic animals along a nearby highway.
About three or four wolves were killed by officers.
The biggest concerns were grizzly and black bears, lions and tigers.
Chimpanzees and an orangutan were found alive in pens inside the house. A black bear and a wolf made it to a field near Interstate 70 along with a large mountain lion.
Lutz said because they had dealt with Thompson and the rescue he operated on his farm for several years, they were aware he kept these types of animals. Lutz said Thompson had a license to run the rescue operation and it was legal.
Thompson was sentenced to one year and a day in prison in October 2010 for two federal counts of possessing illegal firearms and recently had been released. Thomas was charged after agents with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives served a search warrant at his home in 2008.
Three school districts in the region were closed and some private and special schools canceled classes. Flashing signs along area highways told motorists, "Caution exotic animals" and "Stay in vehicle."
Tuesday night, more than 50 law enforcement officials — including sheriff's deputies, highway patrol officers, police officers and officers from the state Division of Wildlife — patrolled the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas in cars and trucks, often in rainy downpours. Lutz said they were concerned about big cats and bears hiding in the dark and in trees.
Neighbor Danielle White, whose father's property abuts the animal preserve, said she didn't see loose animals this time but did in 2006, when a lion escaped.
"It's always been a fear of mine knowing (the preserve's owner) had all those animals," she said. "I have kids. I've heard a male lion roar all night."
Lutz said Thompson's wife, who was not at the home, had been contacted.
Lutz said his office started getting phone calls at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday that wild animals were loose just west of Zanesville on a road that runs under Interstate 70.
He said four deputies with assault rifles in a pickup truck went to the animal farm, where they found the owner Thompson dead and all the animal cage doors open.
He wouldn't say how Thompson died but said several aggressive animals were near his body when deputies arrived and had to be shot.
The deputies, who saw many other animals standing outside their cages and others that had escaped past the fencing surrounding the property, began shooting them on sight.
"He was in hot water because of the animals, because of permits, and (the animals) escaping all the time," White said. A few weeks ago, she said, she had to avoid some camels which were grazing on the side of a freeway.
Bill Cooper, who lives on Whites Road, said he was concerned for his cattle and calves on his farm when he first heard about the animals being loose. He said he didn't see any animals out but he and his wife heard several "pops."
He said in the past he had heard animals moaning on the property and always thought something should have been done about it.
At a nearby Moose Lodge, Bill Weiser remembered Thompson as an interesting character who flew planes, raced boats and owned a custom motorcycle shop that also sold guns.
"He was pretty unique," Weiser said. "He had a different slant on things. I never knew him to hurt anybody, and he took good care of the animals."
Weiser said he regretted that the escaped animals had to be killed. "It's breaking my heart, them shooting those animals," he said.
Bailey Hartman, 20, a night manager at McDonald, also said it saddened her that the animals were being shot. But, she said, "I was kind of scared coming in to work."
Hartman said Thompson's wife, who no longer lives with him, was her teacher in middle school and used to bring small animals such as a monkeys, snakes and owls to school. "It was a once-a-year type of thing, and everyone would always get excited," she recalled.
Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.
In the summer of 2010, an animal caretaker was killed by a bear at a property in Cleveland. The caretaker had opened the bear's cage at exotic-animal keeper Sam Mazzola's property for a routine feeding.
Though animal-welfare activists had wanted Mazzola charged with reckless homicide, the caretaker's death was ruled a workplace accident. The bear was later destroyed.
This summer, Mazzola was found dead on a water bed, wearing a mask and with his arms and legs restrained, at his home in Columbia Township, about 15 miles southwest of Cleveland.
It was unclear how many animals remained on the property when he died, but he had said in a bankruptcy filing in May 2010 that he owned four tigers, a lion, eight bears and 12 wolves. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had revoked his license to exhibit animals after animal-welfare activists campaigned for him to stop letting people wrestle with another one of his bears.
Mazzola had permits for nine bears for 2010, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said. The state requires permits for bears but doesn't regulate the ownership of nonnative animals, such as lions and tigers.
The Humane Society of the United States on Wednesday urged Ohio to immediately issue emergency restrictions on the sale and possession of dangerous wild animals. "
"How many incidents must we catalogue before the state takes action to crack down on private ownership of dangerous exotic animals," Humane Society Wayne Pacelle said in a statement.
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Bit of a pingpingpingping thing to do to release the animals before killing himself...